The Ravenclaw Marauder
by Annie Wilde
Summary: A proud, adventurous Ravenclaw and a group of headstrong Gryffindors. She can't stand them and they are irritated by her. When they are brought together in times of trouble, things can only end badly...
1. Of Eggmen and Robes

**Um, hi! I've had this idea in my head for ages, and I've finally started writing it down, so I'm kind of jazzed. Rune's based on me, and my Pottermore persona. So, read, and enjoy!**

**(Oh, and I don't own Harry Potter. I just own my weird little bubble in which this story resides.)**

It was early summer in 1971, when Rune Draconis received her letter. Being from a fully magical family, she had been expecting it, but, as with anything, your brain has a habit of turning things that you look forward to into something like World War III.

What if it didn't come? What if, despite her mother's assurances, she was actually a squib, and unable to enter Hogwarts at all?

Nevertheless, her birthday loomed on June 26th, and, straight on cue at six in the morning, a large barn owl soared through her open window and deposited a letter on her sleeping face.

Rune squawked and sat bolt upright, her dark hair in a state of some considerable disarray. She had been in the middle of a rather good dream, and felt somewhat disgruntled for a moment, until she remembered what day it was. She hurled herself at the duvet, scrabbling around in it for the parchment, eventually finding it.

She snatched up the letter, beaming, and tore it open.

_Dear Miss Draconis…_

After perusing the contents of the letter about six or seven times, just to be sure, Rune jumped out of bed with all the grace of a newborn colt, and hurtled downstairs. "I got it, I got it!"

Marianne Draconis glanced up from the plate of scrambled eggs she was cooking, and looked fondly upon her daughter. Marianne was a tall, gold-haired beauty with a kind, soft face, who looked a little out of place wearing an apron cooking eggs. She was an equal mixture of quick wit and caring, who delighted in anything remotely humorous. Her daughter was much the same in personality, although so much more different in looks.

Rune was slightly taller than average, with wavy dark hair and deep brown eyes. She was almost the opposite of the petite, tanned Marianne in everything but her voice and facial expressions. Everyone swore that when they started talking, you couldn't tell one from the other.

"Please don't tell me you're surprised," Marianne said. "You've been talking about nothing else all year!"

"I know, but…"

"You were a bit worried it wouldn't come?" Marianne mused. "I was the same – drove my parents crazy."

"Mum…"

"Okay, enough reminiscing."

"No, Mum-"

"Yes, and we'll go to Diagon Alley on Saturday to –"

"-Mum, the eggs!"

Marianne spun around to look at the pan, which the eggs seemed to be _walking out of_. The yellowy mixture had formed into a crude figurine, which was taking slow steps across the worktop, leaving splodges of half-cooked goo behind it.

"Oh, for goodness's sake!" Marianne testily pulled out her apple-wood wand and directed it at the egg-man, which abruptly collapsed into a congealing, semi-cooked mess. "Malum Draconis, come here _right now!_"

Rune's older brother appeared at the kitchen door, holding his mahogany wand aloft triumphantly. His quick blue eyes flicked around the room and came to rest on the parchment in Rune's hand. "Aw, has Runey darling got her letter?" He asked, brandishing his wand at her with a tell-tale air. "No – she can't have done. She never _mentioned _she was expecting it!"

"_Don't _change the subject!" Marianne snapped. "You know you're not to use magic outside of school! You know you're not of age! You know it's illegal!"

"They can't find out, Mum!"

"It doesn't matter! They could have their noses pressed against the window for all I care, you are _never _to break the law, Malum!"

Rune stood awkwardly in the crossfire of the argument for a few moments, before turning her attention to the former egg-man. Rolling her pyjama sleeves up, Rune scooped the mess back into the pan, where it cooked happily until the end of the argument.

|HP|HP|HP|HP|HP|HP|HP|

That Saturday found the three Draconises standing at their large, medieval fireplace with a terracotta pot of Floo Powder.

Malum was the first to go, scooping out a handful of Powder and crying "Diagon Alley!" after stepping into the fireplace. Green flames leapt up around him and then he was gone.

"Watching other people do that always creeps me out." Rune muttered. "Why does it have to be so dramatic?"

Taking a handful of Powder, Marianne stepped into the grate. "Rune, if you want it simple, don't go to Hogwarts."

"Thanks Mum."

After Marianne had vanished, Rune stepped forwards. She took a handful of Powder and stepped into the fireplace, bending her head as so not to bang it on the mantelpiece. Sighing, she tucked her arms around her body, dropped the powder into the grate and called out, "Diagon Alley!"

Instantly, the green flames jumped up at her, and she spun around and around and around, her hair whipping her face. She found herself wishing she hadn't had _quite _that much for breakfast.

Rune closed her eyes, but no sooner had she done so than the infernal spinning stopped, and she stepped out into broad daylight.

Diagon Alley.

This had to be Rune's favourite place on Earth. There was so much to see here – exotic creatures, strange people, and a whole host of _stuff. _

"Right, we'll get your wand first. Ollivanders, come on."Marianne grasped Rune's arm, and steered her in the right direction. "Dizzy?"

"Just a bit," Rune shook her head, trying to dispel the spinning. "Where's Malum?"

"He went off with his friends." Marianne twisted her mouth slightly in worry. "To be honest, I'd rather not know where he is."

Marianne and Rune headed off to an old, dark building in the middle of the terrace. Freshly painted golden letters proclaimed: _Ollivanders. Makes of fine Wands since 382 BC. _Despite the air of being recently cleaned, the whole shop – from the outside, at least – seemed to be ancient in its own way. So old that it disturbed Rune a little.

Rune shook her head to clear these thoughtsand stepped inside with Marianne, moving out of the way to let a girl with dark red hair pass them, clutching a wand and gazing at it happily.

The interior was cool and shady, with stacks of wand boxes piled high around then. A mousy-haired middle-aged man with strange, silvery blue eyes was standing over a desk, perusing some papers. He looked up when they entered.

"Ah, hello," he said, a pair of silvery eyes examining them. "Hogwarts?"

"Um, yes." Rune looked to Marianne for support, and the man – presumably Mr. Ollivander – spotted her too, his eyes lighting up with delight.

"Ah, Marianne Draconis! What a surprise – applewood and unicorn hair, thirteen inches, quite inflexible, wasn't it?"

Marianne smiled her customary charming smile. "Yes, it was. But it's Rune's turn now."

"Yes." Said Mr. Ollivander, bustling out from behind his desk and surveying Rune with those strange eyes. "Wand arm?"

"This one," Rune held out her right arm.

A tape measure hopped off the desk and set to work measuring her, all by itself.

"It's new," said Mr. Ollivander, noticing her surprised look. "So much better than measuring it all by hand, I've become quite attached to it."

The tape measure seemed to be measuring all there was to her – her ears, her arms,the length of her nose…

Mr. Ollivander snapped his fingers, and it fell to the floor. Rune picked it up for him and handed it over.

"Thank you. Now, let's see – Ash and Dragon heartstring, 9 ½ inches, inflexible, try – no, no."

He snatched the wand straight back out of her hand the instant she'd taken hold of it. Marianne smiled at the bemused look on Rune's face, reassuring her that all was normal.

"Try this one. English Oak and Phoenix Feather, 10 ¾ inches, surprisingly swishy."

Rune grasped it in her hand, and, all of a sudden, warmth travelled through her fingers, spreading from the point where she was in contact with the wood. Acting on some long forgotten instinct she swished the wand above her head. A fountain of gold sparks erupted from the end of the wand.

"Oh, well done!" Mr. Ollivander seemed almost disappointed that a match had been found so quickly. "Well done, and good luck!"

They left the shop rather quickly after paying.

"He was like that for me," Marianne said. "I thought him ever so odd."

"He is." Rune said, to Marianne's tinkling laughter.

"There's a new place for robes here now, thank goodness; _Madam Malkins'_. I hated having to go to the other one – the smell was horrible."

The interior of the new shop was, in a word, lovely. Rolls of materials lined the walls like bright tapestries, and a few people were standing on stools while shop assistants measured them. A young lady bustled up to greet them.

"Hello there, I'm Madam Malkins. Another for Hogwarts, is it?" The woman smiled. "Stand on this stool here."

"I'll go and find Malum, while you're busy." Marianne said, smiling briskly and heading more the door. "God only knows what he's up to."

Rune stood on the stool the woman had indicated, while an assistant came to measure her. Next to Rune was a tall boy, obviously being measured for Hogwarts as well. He had shaggy dark hair, and looked quite at ease.

"Um, hi," Rune ventured, not looking forward to being silent the whole measuring.

The boy looked over at her. "Hi," he said. "I'm Sirius."

"You're … sorry, you're serious?" Rune said, wondering if he was mocking her.

"No, my _name _is Sirius." He said with the tone of someone who had suffered this treatment many times before.

"Oh. I'm Rune."

"Hi. You getting measured for Hogwarts too?"

Glad to have found some common ground with Sirius other than strange names, Rune smiled. "Yeah. I'm starting from scratch, as well, because we just moved here from France."

The boy's eyebrows shot up. "You're French?"

"Part French. My Dad was French. What about you?"

Though Sirius had obviously noticed the use of her father's name in the past tense, he made no note of it, brushing it carelessly aside.

"All English. What house are you hoping for?"

"Ravenclaw!" Rune said enthusiastically. "My family's been in Ravenclaw for generations, and it seems to be the best house anyway. You?"

"My family's been in Slytherin for generations, but I'm heading for Gryffindor."

"Why?"

"Well, you've never met my family," he said bitterly.

Neither of them spoke again throughout the fitting, and Rune regretted bringing up talk of families. But how was she to know it had been such a soft spot?

September the first came with a rush of cold wind, and it was with many layers that the Draconis family travelled down to King's Cross Station. Rune had been allocated some spending money for the train, and she was thoroughly looking forward to buying as many sweets as she could with it.

Malum was in a filthy mood. Apparently, he'd fallen out with one of his friends, and was musing stonily.

They arrived at the station in silence, and Malum marched off through the barrier without as much as a furtive glance at the Muggles around them.

"Will you write to me, Mum?" Rune demanded as soon as Malum had gone.

Marianne smiled sadly. "I think I'll have more trouble getting you to write back, Rune. You'll have more than enough on your plate."

Rune tried to interrupt, but Marianne grinned suddenly at her, and leaned against the barrier dividing platforms 9 and 10. Rune followed suit, and found herself blinking at the change of scenery. A large sign proclaiming _Platform 9 ¾ _hung just above her head.

"Where's Malum gone?" She asked.

"Ask him yourself." Said a voice right behind her.

Rune yelped and jumped, much to Malum's amusement. He seemed to be recovered from his bad mood by the sight of the crimson steam engine, as did everyone. "Don't _do _that!"

But Malum took no notice, and for once, Marianne didn't scold him. "Um, we'd better go, then," he said awkwardly.

Marianne nodded. She enveloped both of them in her arms. "Write to me, both of you."

Malum and Rune nodded. Malum heaved his trunk up onto the train, then, after a moment's hesitation, picked up Rune's and did the same.

"Bye, Mum." They chorused, and turned to go find a seat. Malum found one quickly, with his other soon-to-be Fourth Year mates, while Rune went off to go find her own. All of them seemed to be occupied, apart from one. She headed for it, but then a boy and a girl with dark red hair possessed it first.

She chose a compartment at random, and asked the occupants, "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." It was only then that she recognised one of them. The boy she had met in _Madam Malkins'_. Sirius was accompanied by a small, rat-like boy, a tired-looking, quiet one, and a boy with scruffy jet-black hair and glasses.

**Surprise, surprise! Will Rune get her wish of Ravenclawesome? Reviews, please, I will love you forever and include dedications!**

**Annie x**


	2. An Uncertain Sorting

**Hi all! Here you go, here's the Sorting and the Train. Not in that order.**

"_Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."_

The black-haired boy nodded airily. "Sure."

"Um, thanks," said Rune, and sat down opposite him, by the door.

Sirius smiled carelessly at her, in a way that said clearly that she wasn't important enough for him to be awkward with. "Hey, again," he said.

"Hi," she replied.

"So, who are you?" The other boy asked.

"I'm Rune, Rune Draconis. You?"

"James Potter." Said the black-haired boy, in a slightly superior way, as though she should have heard of him.

"Remus Lupin." The thin, tired-looking one by the window.

"Peter Pettigrew," The rat-like boy with small, calculating eyes that darted all over the compartment room.

"Pleasure," **Sorry, couldn't resist the Hermione quote.** "Are you all First-Years?" She asked hopefully.

"Yep," said Sirius.

"Be nice to know someone." Rune smiled, trying to break the ice. "All I've got is a brother in Fourth year who's got the brains of a maggot with plague."

They laughed, and the atmosphere relaxed.

"What house?" The dark-haired boy – James – demanded, leaning forwards. This was clearly a popular topic of conversation.

"Ravenclaw, crossed fingers."

"Ravenclaw?" James sounded shocked.

"Yes, Ravenclaw." Rune retorted, a little affronted by his tone. "Why?"

James continued, undaunted. "Well, I thought everyone wanted to go into Gryffindor."

Rune was taken aback. "Um, no. Besides, all of my family's been in Ravenclaw, they all kind of expect it of me, anyway."

"Oh, okay." He said.

There and then, Rune decided that she did not like this boy. The way he acted as though everyone was beneath him, and every other house was beneath his.

"What about the rest of you?" She asked of Remus and Peter.

"Gryffindor!" Squeaked Peter instantly. Rune raised her eyebrows. He went pink and lapsed into silence.

"I don't really mind," said Remus tactfully.

Rune sighed. This first meeting didn't seem to be going as well as she'd hoped. She let the boys fall back on Quidditch talk, and pulled a book out of her bag, settling down to read _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One._

About fifteen minutes later, she pulled out her wand (to the slight alarm of the boys) and practised a few, just for fun. When she turned her shoelaces blue, the boys began to take a little notice of her practice.

"How did you do that?" Remus inquired.

Rune looked up, distracted. "Do what?"

"Turn things different colours. I've been trying since I got my books, but nothing works."

She passed him the book, but none of his attempts worked, to the great amusement of James and Sirius (Peter's high-pitched fake laughter didn't really count).

"You're not moving your wand right." Rune said, ignoring the others. "It's not so much of a flick as a circle in the air."

Remus tried again calmly. This time, James's hair turned orange.

The whole compartment erupted in laughter. James clutched at his hair, which just made them all laugh even more. James joined in.

"Alright, alright. How do you make it normal again?"

Rune looked him straight in the eye, with half a smile on her face. "I haven't the faintest idea." She said.

James stared at her. "Yes you do. Come on, tell me."

Rune shook her head despondently. "Sorry Potter. It's just _hopeless. _You'll be like that forever. Shame, huh?" She turned her head to the side to hide her smirk.

"Seriously, now, turn it back." James said.

Rune turned to Sirius. "You heard him."

Sirius raised his eyes to heaven. "I'm not so sure you'll make it into Ravenclaw at this rate," he said. That wiped the half-smile off Rune's face.

"Why not?"

"Well, you don't know how to reverse a simple switching spell, and you've got a tongue sharper than Merlin's knife collection."

"I'm not sure Merlin _had _a –"

"-hey!" Remus interrupted them. "The reversal spell's in here!"

"Gimme that!" Rune made a lunge for her book, but James snatched it off Remus.

"Oh God," he said."I'll never be able to do that spell! I can't even say the incantation!" He turned to Rune. "Turn it back."

Rune considered a refusal, but decided against it. She wasn't at heart a malicious person, she just relished anything ridiculous. She pointed her wand steadily at James's hair (making him a little uneasy), and said, "_Finite Incantatum._"

His hair flushed black. James grasped a few strands between his fingers, and then said to Sirius, "is it all gone?" He tipped his head down and bared the back of his head at us.

"Yeah," said Sirius.

"Don't trust me?" Rune taunted.

"No."

Rune acknowledged that with an inclination of her head, as though to say "fair enough".

"Hadn't we better get changed?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," said Sirius. He looked awkwardly at Rune, who had already changed at home, risking the odd looks of Muggles.

She stood up. "It's okay; I'll just go for a walk or something."

She slid the door open, and left the compartment. She wandered up the corridor, which, at the moment, was quite empty. Knowing there was no real point her standing outside her compartment, she slid open the door of another.

Within it there was the girl and boy she had seen before, who'd taken the last empty compartment. They were poring over a book, and looked up as she entered.

"Sorry," Rune said, "But can I sit here while the people in my compartment get changed?"

The girl smiled, but the boy looked less than happy at the intrusion. "Of course," she said. "I'm Lily Evans, who are you?"

"Rune Draconis," she winced a little at how high and mighty her name sounded compared to the girl's normal name.

"Oh," said Lily. "That's a … unusual name."

Rune smiled wryly. "It's ridiculous, I know." She sat down in the seat by the window, and turned to the boy. "Who are you?" She asked.

The boy looked at her. "Severus Snape."

"Hi."

He nodded. "Lily, look at this, here." He tried to draw her attention back to the book.

"Sev, don't be so rude," Lily chided. Turning to Rune, she asked me the only question any Hogwarts student seemed to start a conversation with. "So, what house are you hoping for?"

"Ravenclaw," She sighed. "You're hoping for Gryffindor too, I suppose."

"No!" Said Severus vehemently.

"Oh?" Rune said, instantly more interested. "Which, then?"

"Slytherin," said Lily.

"How come?" Rune asked. Lily didn't seem quite like your average ambitious person. But then again, Rune hadn't met very many.

Severus answered. "Well, it's by far the best."

Rune tipped her head back. "_No, it's not!"_

Lily and Severus looked thoroughly taken aback. Rune went pink.

"Sorry," she said. "I've just heard so much house prejudice in the other compartment I was in."

"Who was in that one?" Lily asked.

"A load of boys. One scrawny, one arrogant, one tired, one proud."

Lily and Severus exchanged a look.

"What?"

"I think we passed them." Severus said. "Gits."

"Aren't they? Well, actually, the rest aren't that bad. It's just Potter – the one with glasses – that really gets on my nerves."

Rune passed the rest of the train journey amiably with Lily and Severus, and returned to the other compartment only once to retrieve her trunk. The other occupants barely even noticed her.

When the train finally pulled up at the platform, Rune, Lily and Severus got off together, and headed towards the cry of "First Years this way! All First Years to me, please!"

A wizard with a rather wuffly beard stood in front of them, and waited until they'd all assembled before saying, "Right then, I am Professor Merrythought, and I will be taking you up to the school."

He set off at a fast walk, and the rest of the First Years followed. "Where are we going?" Lily whispered.

"My brother says First Years get to the school in boats." Rune volunteered. She could see James and his posse talking amongst themselves. She turned away.

It turned out that Malum had been right. After about ten minutes walk, they passed through a patch of gorse and across to a truly astonishing sight. A group of boats were arranged on the edge of a vast lake, across which they could see –

"Hogwarts," Severus smiled. "I thought I'd never get here." The smile changed him; it made him look infinitely more friendly, and even quite good-looking.

Lily laughed joyfully, and Rune grinned like a loon.

They set off in a boat together. They made an unlikely group; a tall, sallow-faced, scruffy but smiling boy, an immaculate, laughing red-head, and a grinning individual. What they all had, though, was a certain happy glow.

When they reached the castle, a tall man with a silver-grey beard came out to greet them, and guided them inside, smiling benignly. Professor Merrythought left them.

The wizard led them up a staircase, and into a small antechamber, through the walls of which they could hear much bustle and talk. He raised his hands to silence the whispers that had been aroused amongst them, and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"I am Professor Dumbledore. Through these doors here is the Great Hall, and this is where you will be sorted. All four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin, have produced exceptionally talented witches and wizards. While you are here, your house will be your family. You will take lessons with your house, eat at your house table, and spend free time in your house common room. You will be awarded points for good behaviour, although any negative behaviour will lose your house points. The house with the most points at the end of the year will be awarded the house cup."

"Professor," said someone, "Professor, how will we be sorted?"

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "When I call your name, you will sit on the stool placed ready; the Sorting Hat will be placed upon your head, and will decide your house. That's all, I think. No point in keeping you waiting, so through you come."

Potter and his gang led the way through the doors into the Hall.

The Great Hall was, in two words, mind blowing. Instead of a ceiling, there was a dark blue void filled with stars, and four long trestle tables stretched the length of the Hall, students sitting by them.

The Hall quietened when the First Years entered, and everybody's gaze was drawn to a Hat on a stool. A rip by its mouth opened, and … it started to _sing._

Malum didn't mention this, Rune thought, as the Hat warbled. When its song ended, the whole Hall erupted in applause. Rune wasn't sure whether to laugh.

"Black, Sirius!" Called out Professor Dumbledore.

Sirius went up to the stool, sat on it, and placed the hat on his head. There was a pause, then, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Grinning, Sirius went to sit by a table which were cheering their heads off.

Rune's heart was beating like a hummingbird. She took long deep breaths through the Sorting, until –

"Draconis, Rune!"

Shakily, she smiled at Lily and Severus, and walked over to the stool. She could see Malum giving her the thumbs-up from the crowd, and took heart from that. She sat down, picking the hat up and placing it on her head. It fell down over her eyes, and a small voice spoke in her ear.

_Ah, what do we have here?_

Rune started, but stayed still as best she could, knowing that there was a whole Hall of people about her.

_A fair bit of courage, here, but a very sharp mind. Let's see..._

Rune bit her lip nervously.

_A whole Ravenclaw family, is it? But you're not quite cut of the same cloth, are you? Let's say…_

Rune could tell what the Hat was going to say.

"GRYFF-"

_No!_ She thought as hard as she could.

The Hat broke off, and the whole Hall came alive with murmurs.

_Not Gryffindor? _It probed deeper. _You know, you mustn't judge a house by the word of just a few. _

Rune thought, _I'm not one of them, I wouldn't suit._

_Gryffindor would be good for you, you know. _

_What about Ravenclaw?_

Grudgingly, it said_ Ravenclaw would suit you, too. You've certainly the brains, but you have a heart of fire, and that's best suited to Gryffindor. _

_Isn't my brain more important than my heart?_

_Ah ha! Do we have a philosopher here, Miss Draconis? I must say, you are one of the most interesting people I've ever had to place. _

_Um, thank you._

The Hat was silent for a very long time, during which the noise around her billowed. She could faintly hear Lily asking Severus if anything had gone wrong, and Malum chuckling into the quietness of the Hall. The silence seemed to last forever, but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes.

_Well, you would do well in Ravenclaw, so I suppose…_

"RAVENCLAW!"

The Hall awkwardly began to cheer again. Rune took the Hat off, flushing, and gave it to Lily, who was next.

She shrugged at the questions in her eyes, and went off to sit at the cheering table, near to Malum. A curly-haired sixth year girl next to her said, "You were a Hatstall, you know!"

"What?"

"A Hatstall. It's what we call a Sorting that takes longer than five minutes, and they only happen once every fifty years or so. I've never seen the Sorting Hat change its mind like that, though!"

"Nice going, Runie!" Malum cried. "Careful though, you were nearly a Gryffindor!"

Rune smiled at them, and turned to see Lily get sorted –

"GRYFFINDOR!"

What? Lily wasn't a Gryffindor! Lily smiled a sad little smile at Severus, and one at Rune, then walked over to the appropriate table.

Severus was placed in Slytherin, as per his wish. Potter's group were all in Gryffindor. Poor Lily, Rune thought. Lessons with Potter.

Four Years passed.

**So, second chapter up! Not many surprises there, I know, but it had to be written. I'll have the third chapter up soon, with any luck! Review, please!**

**Annie**

**x**


	3. Night Wanderings

**So, Chapter Three up! We're finally getting some action! Thanks so much to ThatOneDiabeticGirl, my first – and hopefully not my last – reviewer! I tried to make it more detailed, so…**

The Ravenclaw common room is a large, open, circular tower room. The windows are tall and elegant, the ceiling a deep dark blue punctuated by cleverly painted stars, and in a niche, behind a statue of their founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, there is a small library of books. The only downside to it, Rune Draconis thought, was the people who spent time there!

Four years on found Rune curled up on a Roman-style couch, reading – in the dead of night. It was the only way she'd get any peace. You see, the fifth year Ravenclaws held a deep-seated dislike of Rune – possibly partly fuelled by the reputation of her older brother and his group of friends. It was widely known that Malum and his friends were untrustworthy students. It was a House joke that Malum would have been much more suited to Slytherin, as Rune would be more suited to Gryffindor.

Over his school career, his wide group of friends (or, as Rune thought of them, allies) had spread over all of the houses, and it seemed that he had considered himself the best of all students. Despite the fact that he had left school last year, this power frightened a lot of the other Ravenclaws.

To the people who most knew him, Rune among them, it was obvious that Malum's not un-large intelligence and his ability to get people to see things his way had fed his already healthy ego into something possibly even beating that of James Potter (whom Rune still disliked). But no matter how big headed he was, Malum was truly, at heart, a good person, and a true Ravenclaw.

But none of this was even conceivable to the other students, making Rune a strictly "no-go" zone amongst people whom she could have gotten on with otherwise, and she herself shunned people who had flocked to her, in the beginning, out of fear and hunger for power.

This meant that Rune had very little time to appreciate the beauty of her Common Room. Whenever she was in there, she attracted whispers and odd looks like dirt attracts bundimuns, so she preferred to spend time in the library, where she sometimes met Lily and Severus, in her dormitory, or just wandering around the grounds.

Rune had grown apart from Lily and Severus, mostly because, being in separate houses, they couldn't spend much time together. And also because she didn't like to intrude – it was obvious to anyone but Lily that Severus was completely smitten with her.

Anyway, it didn't matter so much. Rune enjoyed her own company, but sometimes… Well, it didn't matter so much, she reminded herself, swinging her legs off the side of the couch. She got up, stretched, and walked across the room to return her book to the shelf.

She should go to bed, really. She looked over at the dormitory door, and twisted her mouth indecisively. There's something about being out of bed way past the time you're allowed that makes you unwilling to stop breaking the rules.

Making up her mind, Rune grinned recklessly, and grabbed her cloak from where it lay on the couch, flattened by her body. She swung it around her shoulders, over her pyjamas, slid her feet into her shoes (she was well prepared – this night-time wandering was not a new Saturday-night occupation), and shuffled over to the door.

Pushing it open – it swung soundlessly on its hinges – she stepped out onto the staircase, an odd thumping in her chest that always came from creeping around illegally. She climbed down the stairs, every sound she made intensified tenfold by the pressing silence around her.

She wondered where she could go. There was no point breaking out of your Common Room at midnight if you weren't going anywhere. The library? No, she'd been there last week-end. The kitchens, then? Yes, that sounded good.

She crept down the spiral stairs, a wild smile on her face. She had to be careful, she knew. Teachers sometimes patrolled corridors to see if all students were in bed, and, considering, for good reason. But she had learned the schedule, and knew that no one patrolled the area around Ravenclaw Tower on a Saturday night.

At the bottom of Ravenclaw Tower, she was just about to allow herself to relax a little when a sound came from somewhere. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the wall. It was a strange whooshing, billowing sound, accompanied by someone's hurried footsteps.

Rune's eyebrows knitted together. She had never, in all her years of wanderings, heard any other sound that the steady footsteps of professors. Hurrying a few steps to her right, she pushed aside a tapestry on the wall, which unearthed a circular hole in the stone, just big enough to crouch in. She had exposed this secret only last week, and knew it led to the opposite corridor.

Because of her night-time exploring, Rune had gotten to know the castle better than anyone, finding many secret passageways, nooks and crannies, and these had swung her out of beam of discovery more than once.

Clambering in, Rune shuffled along the cold stone, to an identical hole covered by yet another tapestry. She tentatively pulled it a little aside, and peeked down the corridor. The first thing that hit her was the staggering heat emanating from that place. Running up it, his face contorted in anger, was Severus Snape. His ebony wand was in his clenched fist, and, floating in front of his as her ran, was a pulsing, roaring ball of fire.

"Fiendfyre!" Rune murmured to herself in shock. What on Earth was Severus doing with _Fiendfyre?_ It was incredible dangerous and volatile, and if he could control it in that form … well, it meant he was much more intelligent – and threatening – than Rune had originally thought. More scary, if she connected all the dots, was the fact that he was obviously chasing someone.

With a gasp, Rune let go of the tapestry as he ran past her. Awkwardly, she climbed back out of the passage, and ran towards the corridor. Her boots clattered noisily against the uneven stone slabs, but she didn't care anymore. She skidded around a corner, and –

WHAM!

Rune had collided with someone running in the opposite direction. They both swore loudly, then –

"_Potter?"_

For indeed it was. James Potter, his hair dishevelled and with numerous burn marks on his face stood panting face to face with her.

"Oh, Christ, it's you," gasped Potter. He brushed past her roughly, and carried on running. Rune caught up with him and grabbed his arm.

"Get off –"

"This way!" Rune half dragged him up the spiral staircase of Ravenclaw Tower, Potter yelling obscenities hoarsely as she went.

Reaching the top, she grabbed the knocker, slapping it again and again against the aged wood, praying for an easy question.

A musical voice came out of it – "_Who discovered pure liquid Love?"_

"For God's sake, Draconis, this is no time for a pop quiz!" Potter's eyes were panicked, he knew that if he went back now, Severus would get him.

"Shut up – no one did, because there is no such thing." Rune gabbled at the door.

"_Very good." _Replied the knocker, and the door swung open before them. Rune shoved Potter inside, regardless of whether he was the first Gryffindor to be shown the inside of Ravenclaw's Common Room or not.

"Now, stay quiet and wait there – don't let anyone see you."

"But I –"

Rune shut the door in his face, took a deep breath and skidded back out onto the corridor, just in time for Severus to rush around the corner.

"Um, hi." Said Rune.

Severus pulled back his wand instinctively, the ball of fire roaring louder than ever – before realising that she was not James Potter.

"What are _you_ doing here?" He demanded.

"Just … you know, wandering."

Severus's eyes scanned her own, and they tightened. "Where is he?"

"Where is who?"

"For God's sake, Draconis, you've hidden him, haven't you!"

"Severus," she said quietly. "Is that Fiendfyre?"

That brought him up short. "I - I just – it's not – it doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Rune cried. "Severus, do you know how dangerous that is? The Ministry only permits use of it in extraneous circumstances, and I doubt a schoolboy grudge qualifies!"

"Shut up!" Yelled Snape, his eyes wild. "I don't care! Where is he?"

Rune met his gaze calmly and said nothing, thought hiding her shaking, sweaty hands behind her back.

They stared at each other long and hard, before the light in Snape's eyes died out. "I thought we were friends." He said quietly.

"You could seriously hurt him with that, Severus."

"You don't even like him! I know you don't!"

Rune gave a half-hearted smile, "no, I don't. But I wouldn't want to see him dead because of you."

"I won't _kill_ him!"

"What, just burnt and disfigured, then?"

Snape broke eye contact with her. He hunted around in his robes pocket for something, and pulled out an ordinary jam jar. He pressed his wand into the centre of the ball of flames, and directed it towards the jar. The flames did not seem to want to go into captivity, but Snape forced them with a hard jab.

"I always thought the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room was somewhere around here." He said. "Idle wondering, you know, but obviously I was right."

"Keep wondering."

Snape gave a horrible, forced smile which vanished as soon as it had come. "Don't think this is over. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

With that, he turned on his heel and stalked off. Rune watched him go. "Don't I know it," she muttered. How could someone so quiet and reserved end up being so …

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and climbed the staircase to her Common Room. The door was open, and Potter's face framed in it. She brushed past him into the Room, and collapsed onto the couch. Suddenly she felt so tired. She twisted her wrist to glance at her watch – it was a quarter to three.

Potter likewise had fallen into a sofa nearby. "What did you do?" He asked her, and, for once, his trademark arrogance had left him. It was that that allowed Rune to answer.

"Went and lost one of the two friends that I have." She said glumly. "Mind you, seeing what he was like, I s'pose it's not too much of a loss."

Potter's mouth twisted. "Yeah. Um, sorry about that."

That brought a smile to her face. "Do mine ears deceive me? Was that an apology from James Potter – no, no, it can't have been."

Potter grinned suddenly. "Decide what you like, you won't hear it again."

"Pig."

"Snob."

"Son of a bludger."

"Scum sucker."

Their insults got gradually more graphic until they collapsed into (slightly hysterical on Rune's part) laughter.

"God, I'm tired." Rune mumbled to herself more than Potter. "I usually stay up much later than this, but…"

"Why, do you stay up often?"

"Mmm, every Saturday night. Found a ton of secret passageways. More than you, probably." She said slyly.

"Not a chance."

How odd it was, that Rune should actually be sitting here with spoilt Potter and be having a conversation. Maybe she'd wake up any second.

"Nice place," Potter noted, looking around. "I've never seen the inside of anyone else's Common Room. This is pretty cool."

"Well, don't think you'll get in here again. That door's kept out everyone but Ravenclaws for nearly a thousand years."

"Shame."

The silence lengthened, and when it began to get a little awkward, Rune broke it. "Well, you'd better get back to your own Common Room. Florence Grant gets up at three every morning to check her ovomancy."

"You what?"

"Predictions of the way an egg yolk falls."

Potter snorted, but stood up. "D'you think he's gone?" He said, gesturing to the door.

"Why, is bitty Potter scared of a Slytherin? The Sorting Hat must be so _ashamed_."

"No! And you were nearly a Gryffindor, anyway, weren't you?"

Rune shrugged, not having the energy to feel annoyed. "Off you go, then. I'm going to bed." And with that, she turned around, and climbed the stairs to her dormitory to the sound of the door clicking shut.

What an exhausting night, Rune thought, as she lay in her blue four-poster bed. Who would have thought? A civil conversation with James Potter, and a breaking of her four-year long friendship (sort of) with Severus Snape. Maybe she could get Lily to put in a good word for her – she didn't really want Snape as her enemy, but then again, she wanted him even less as her friend now that he'd shown his true colours.

Yawning, she rolled over in her bed. The wind whistling around the Tower was remarkably comforting. She'd deal with it in the morning.

That was difficult, seeing as she didn't get up until lunch.

**Bad, bad Alan Rickman! Shame, because I love Alan Rickman to bits. Oh, and for those who don't know what a bundimun is – haven't you**_** read**_** Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? It's a horrible creature that feeds off dirt. We had an infestation once, in the cellar. Took a whole day of casting scouring charms for them to go away.**

**Please, **_**please**_** review! If you ask really nicely, I may be able to incorporate a character of your own into this story. Just offering.**

**Annie Wilde**

**x**


	4. Acquaintances and A Note

_Rune was running. Faster than she had ever run before, she sprinted down the long, stone passageway, because _something _was behind her, something terrible, something huge, something horrifying. _

"No," she mumbled.

_She hurled herself down a stone passageway, hearing nothing. It was like the world had stopped, time itself had been jerked to a standstill – everything was watching the _thing _chase her. _

_A tree root sprang from the stone floor, curling around Rune's ankle and dragging her to the floor, thorns cutting through her skin. It had caught up with her. Severus Snape stood in front of her, laughing, surrounded by roaring red flames, with Malum standing behind him, sporting a hooked nose and a sneer._

"No, stop, I had to stop…"

_Snape turned into James Potter, whose laugh became an arrogant sniggering, then on Potter's head appeared the Sorting Hat, telling her she had been wrongly placed, and must therefore leave Hogwarts at once. _

"No!"

_The tree root turned into the Giant Squid's black tentacle, which drew her deeper into the stone floor, while the figure, now Sirius Black, then Remus Lupin, then Peter Pettigrew, then her father all flickered before her. _

"NO!"

"Wake up, wake up!"

Rune's eyes snapped open, and suddenly she was in her dormitory, her blankets twisted around her legs, unshed tears swimming in her eyes. She gasped, swallowing huge gulps of air, and buried her face in her hands.

It was childish, she knew. Only children cry about their nightmares – and yet… She had never expected all her doubts and worries to come rushing in at her like that, all in one night. Her doubts about Malum, her fears about Snape, her worries about her past, her uncertainties about her Sorting, still fresh after so many years…

It was a few moments before Rune realised that someone had woken her, and that same someone happened to have a hand resting tentatively on Rune's shoulder. This was strange for two reasons. One, because very few people would stop to wake Rune out of her nightmares, and two, because that person would definitely not have hung around to offer consolation.

Rune removed her hands and looked up defiantly at the person with her tear streaked face, scrubbing a hand roughly under her eyes, ready to receive any kind of sarcasm that the person offered.

But it never came, because the face of the girl looking down at her was showing a genuine concern. Rune couldn't remember seeing her around – but then again; Rune didn't pay much attention to anybody else.

The girl long fair hair pulled into two plaits on either side of her head. She was short and skinny for her age, and this, combined with her large hazel eyes, gave her an innocent, childlike appearance.

"Are you okay?" Asked the girl unnecessarily.

Rune sat up in bed, eyeing the girl suspiciously. "I'm fine," she said flatly. There was a slightly awkward pause, while Rune strained to remember the girls name (for she knew the girl was in Ravenclaw and her year).

"You're … Charlotte Willows, aren't you?" Rune asked.

"Yes," said Charlotte. "Are you okay? I mean, I heard you yelling and you've been in bed for ages – it's nearly two – do you want to go to the Hospital Wing?"

Rune shook her had to clear it and to convey the "no".

Charlotte sat on the edge of Rune's bed.

"I told you, I'm fine." Rune insisted, slightly taken aback by this pushy girl who had never said two words to her before.

"No, you're not."

"Where are your friends?" Rune diverted the question. "I don't think they'd approve of you talking to me."

"They won't mind." Charlotte said gaily, and with that, she sprang up off the bed. "Come on, get up. You've missed lunch, but you might be able to scavenge something."

Rune was about to tell this annoying little pixie to _shove off_ when something struck her. She'd never had a friend in Ravenclaw. She'd pushed them all away – of course, she _could_ blame her brother, but had _she_ ever tried to make friends with those who had been doubtful of her? No. It was her pride that had pushed people away. Would she push away one more person?

Rune dragged a hollow smile up from somewhere inside and directed it at Charlotte. "I won't need to scavenge."

"Why not?"

Rune slid out of bed. "Come on. Let's go to the kitchens."

Charlotte had waited for Rune to get changed, chattering incessantly while she did so. But when they left the Tower, Rune watched her new acquaintance for any sign of embarrassment of insecurity for being seen with Rune. There were none, though, granted, they attracted a few raised eyebrows and whispers.

"Were those your friends?" Rune asked.

Charlotte nodded cheerfully. She was dressed in a long blue denim gypsy skirt that seemed to suit her personality to a T. It swished around her ankles as they walked along the corridors, and was decorated by what looked like a thick homemade ribbon belt. A dark green tie-dyed T shirt completed the look nicely.

They couldn't have made a stranger couple. Charlotte's open, friendly manner and light clothes, and Rune's relaxed yet still cautious character. Rune was wearing a long sleeved deep red T-Shirt with dark blue jeans and her favourite mid-calf leather boots.

Yet Charlotte didn't seem to mind that people stared after them, or that they whispered like hissing kettles after they passed. Nobody could seem to believe that Rune Draconis might have gotten herself a friend.

"Where are the kitchens?" Charlotte wanted to know.

"You've never been?"

"I don't think students are allowed there."

Rune smiled. "Nobody said we're not. They're just convinced that no one will ever find it."

"How did you find it?"

"Trade secret."

They walked together down the Grand Staircase, and through a side door that led into a brightly lit corridor decorated with pictures of fruit.

"I've heard the Hufflepuff Common Room is down here." Charlotte told Rune. "Have you found that, too?"

Rune looked at the girl sideways, unsure if she was making fun of her. "No, I haven't," she said stiffly.

They walked on in silence, and, coming up the corridor from the other direction, came a certain James Potter and his posse. Rune wasn't sure how Potter would react to her after the previous night's meeting, but was pleasantly surprised when Potter and Black grinned widely at her. She smiled back – evidently, Potter had shared the adventures of last night.

He'd probably boasted about being the only Gryffindor in six centuries to see inside Ravenclaw Tower, but somehow Rune wasn't bothered. He'd never get back inside; he wasn't smart enough, and no other Ravenclaw worth their salt **(A.N. an old Roman expression, deriving from the time when the army would pay their soldiers in salt, because of its value. Just putting it out there...) **would let him in.

Strange, but that was the most Rune had smiled all month, and just in an evening and a morning.

"You're friends with James Potter?" Charlotte asked blankly, after they'd passed. She quickly recovered herself. "I mean, it's good that you are, but I always thought you hated him." There was a very short pause, then, "Oh my gosh, are you two an item?"

"No!" Rune said loudly. "_No_, we're not. I just got him out of a sticky spot last night."

"Oh," Charlotte tactfully dropped it.

At this point, they arrived outside a large painting of a bowl of fruit. For all her pride, Rune had discovered the kitchen completely by accident, falling against the painting, and hearing the pear chuckle slightly.

She knelt down and tickled the pair. It gave out a high-pitched giggle, and the painting swung open. Rune could hear Charlotte's gasp as she walked through the portrait hole into a huge room decorated with enough pots and pans to feed the school.

"Miss Rune!" A squeaky voice proclaimed.

Smiling, Rune looked down to see her favourite Elf, Trinky, approaching her. Trinky's large bat-like ears flapped cheerfully. "Hello, Trinky," she said. "How are you?"

"Very well, Miss Rune, very well. Is you hungry?"

Rune gave a rueful grin, and admitted, "I missed breakfast and lunch today. Erm, again."

A batch of House Elves scurried forwards with a large silver platter of food. "Will your friend be wanting some?" Trinky asked.

Rune had briefly forgotten she had a guest. "Oh, yeah, this is Charlotte, Trinky."

"It is an honour to meet you, Miss Charlotte."

Charlotte looked briefly a little lost, before saying, "erm, hi … Trinky."

"Is you wanting some food too?" Trinky asked.

"Um, no thanks. I already ate."

Trinky called over her shoulder, "She is wanting only nibbles!"

And a smaller lot of House Elves came over to deliver a small dinner plate full of fruit, nuts and assorted sweets.

Rune and Charlotte sat down at a small table by the side of the room, and started, Charlotte a little tentatively, to eat.

"I like to watch them work," Rune said. "They're so happy all the time – I think we could learn a bit off them."

"Mmm," said Charlotte, nibbling on a slice of pear.

They ate in friendly silence for a while, before Charlotte clapped a hand to her forehead and exclaimed, "God, I'm such an air-brain!"

Taken aback at this outburst, Rune looked at her askance.

"I was supposed to give you this," Charlotte pulled a note out of her pocket, bound together in black string.

"Who's it from?" Rune asked curiously, taking it from her.

"That Slytherin, Severus Snape."

Rune ripped the string off the note.

_Forbidden forest tonight 9pm. _

_Come alone – we need to talk._

_S._

**Oooh, the plot thickens! Heheheh... **

**You see that little blue button at the bottom of the screen? The one that says review? Well, you know what to do with it...**


	5. The Ravenclaw Marauder

**Voil****à****, mes amis! ****Voilà le****cinquième chapitre de****mon histoire ! Revoir, s'il vous plait. **

"What is it?" Charlotte asked.

Rune folded the parchment up and slipped it into her pocket. No matter how much she and Charlotte might get on, she _had _only just met her properly. "Nothing – I mean, just someone being stupid."

Charlotte's brow creased, so Rune quickly spoke before she could confront her. "Do you want to go?"

They had both finished their respective meals and the House Elves had bustled around to clear their plates.

"Um, sure," Charlotte said.

They stood, declining offers of more food from the Elves and cheerily waving goodbye to Trinky. Though Rune's face was light – she was expert at controlling outward emotions – her mind was racing. _We need to talk. _

Talk? Was that all Severus had in mind for her? Talking? Hardly likely, Rune admitted to herself. From her knowledge of him, she knew Severus to be a formidable grudge bearer – he would not ignore the slight Rune had delivered him last night.

And another thing; _Forbidden Forest, 9pm_? An odd time and place for a talk. It sounded more like an ambush to Rune – she wasn't a Ravenclaw for nothing. How stupid did he think she was? Rune shook her head mentally. Of course she wouldn't go. Doubtless Severus had confused her with Potter. She was no Gryffindor, running recklessly into everything without second thought.

Of course, if he had asked Potter, Potter would have gone.

If he had asked Potter…

After eating with the House Elves, Charlotte told Rune she had to go to meet up with her other friends, and though she made sure Rune knew she was welcome to come, Rune didn't feel quite ready to meet too many friends in one day.

She left Charlotte at the Grand Staircase, going through the Entrance Hall into the gardens. She wandered aimlessly, ending up near the lake. It was a brilliant sunny day – mirroring Rune's hopeful new mood. There were few people there, just a group of boys on the opposite bank, so Rune seated herself on a tree trunk, rested her back against the friendly roughness of the bark and stared out onto the surface of the water, which was night black and mirror smooth.

Though she had sworn to herself that she would absolutely positively definitely _not _go to the Forest to meet Severus, she couldn't help wondering. What had he planned for her? Maybe he actually _did _want to talk to her and she was just getting herself into even deeper waters by deciding not to turn up.

But she shook her head at herself. Despite his many good points, Severus was and always would be a Slytherin. You had to be sure for definite that there wasn't some ulterior motive when dealing with Slytherins, and Rune wasn't sure at all.

But maybe…

"ARGH!" Rune yelled, springing to her feet. Someone had obscured her vision, obviously having snuck up from behind and clasped their hands over her face. "Gerrof!"

Laughter rang out from behind her, and the blinding hands vanished.

Rune spun around, her oaken wand in her hand – but it was only Potter and his cronies.

"What was that for?" She demanded furiously.

"Hey, calm down, Draconis. Just having a laugh." Black smiled.

Rune stuck her wand back into the belt of her jeans, and flopped back down to the ground, allowing herself a small smile.

Three others joined her.

"Where's Pettigrew?" Rune asked.

"Hospital Wing. He won't be up for a while; got caught in the crossfire of a Slytherin."

"You mean, you picked a fight and he got hurt."

"No, they picked a fight and he wasn't as careful as he could have been."

"I'm sure he's glad to have friends like you, Potter."

"Why's it still Potter?"

"Because I haven't decided whether I like you enough yet. 'Till then it's Potter, Potter."

Potter raised his eyebrows. "Oi, watch it Runeyclaw. I thought we were halfway to understanding each other."

Rune choked. "_Runeyclaw?_ Last night was me having no other alternative than getting you out of a possibly dangerous situation. It was not the start to a wonderful friendship, so I don't think we qualify for nicknames."

Potter shrugged. He had such a thick skin that Rune's antagonising just ran off him like water off a duck's back.

"I like it." Black put in.

Rune melodramatically put her head between her knees. "Ah, you don't know how I suffer."

Lupin laughed; possibly the first time Rune had ever heard him do so. Black mock-punched her shoulder. "Hey, so you do have a sense of humour!"

"Think it's my influence, really." Potter smirked.

"We are teaching her well." Black assumed an air similar to that of Armando Dippet and spoke in a reedy tone, "we must pass on all talents and skills to others as well as possible," then, in his normal voice, "including trickery-"

"-sneakery-"Potter supplied.

"-and general well rounded fun." Black completed.

"What, so you're expecting me to join your little gang here?" Rune asked, hiding her pleasant surprise behind a façade of sceptical incredulousness.

Potter placed a hand on his heart, while Black and Lupin laughed. "Well, as you beg us, Runeyclaw…"

"Er, _why?_"

Black looked taken aback. "What do you mean, why?"

"Why have you decided to let a Ravenclaw into your posse when the whole of Gryffindor House is clamouring for attention?"

"Well, I wasn't going to," Potter said frankly. "But Padfoot here, and Moony –"

"You what?"

"Oh, erm, nicknames. We _do_ have a wonderful friendship which qualifies."

Correctly guessing that Padfoot was Black and Moony Lupin, Rune gestured for him to continue.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't going to, but Padfoot and Moony convinced me that any Ravenclaw who saves the skin of a Gryffindor, showed me the inside of your swanky Common Room and knows almost as much about the castle as we do-"

"-more-"

"-deserves special mention." Potter finished, ignoring her interruption.

Rune hesitated for a moment, then a wide grin split her face. Who would have known that fallout with Severus Snape could have brought so many new friends?

Rune spent a few hours with her new friends. She had learnt from them that they much preferred the term _Marauders _to _Potter's Posse._ They chatted about the secret passages in the school, and after ticking them off on their fingers found out that the Marauders only knew two more secret passageways, nooks and crannies than she. They swapped war stories, Lupin and Black eager to hear Rune's account of what had happened last night, and eventually departed, Rune for Hogsmede, Black, Potter and Lupin for detention.

Rune strolled around the sunny streets, a small smile plastered on her face. She wasn't naïve enough to think it would last, but there was something to be said for living in the moment.

Feeling it was too sunny to go indoors to The Three Broomsticks, she wandered towards the hills and a thin solitary dirt path. It wound through a small wood and up into a clearing, from which she could see the almost perfection of the hills. _Almost _perfection, because an ugly dilapidated building stood solidly in the middle.

It was known to the locals, and to Rune, as the Shrieking Shack, so named because of the unearthly screams that issued from it every so often – probably a particularly rowdy ghost.

Rune leant against a tree stump, pulled a small biscuit out of her back pocket which she had taken from the kitchen, undid the charm that prevented it from getting squished, and chewed thoughtfully on it.

The Shrieking Shack's miserable air inevitably brought on thoughts of tonight and Severus.

The doorway from this distance was a dark gaping hole in the side of the house.

Surely Severus didn't mean anything too sinister. They had been, if not friends, then at least affable associates.

The house was slightly crooked – even the chimney looked as though it had been broken a few times.

Then again, Severus's sense of vengeance was very great. His "war" with Potter had been going on since First Year – she didn't want to get mixed up in that.

A huge tree stood beside the Shack, its roots – thread-like from this distance – curling around one side.

But maybe Potter and company _expected _her to take part now. Maybe that was their entire reason for recruiting her into their gang. Maybe they were just manipulating her; using her to their own ends. Maybe they didn't actually like her at all.

A cold wind blew in from the North, ruffling Rune's hair, while a cloud drew in front of the sun. Rune's cotton T-Shirt was hardly enough insulation, so she left the clearing, and headed back to the Castle. As she entered the front doors, she wished she could shut out her disturbing thoughts as well as the cold.

The evening drew in quickly, and a quarter to nine found Rune sitting in her favourite futon by the fireplace, completely undecided. Charlotte had left her to go upstairs five minutes ago, and Rune was still fully dressed, fingers beating an impatient rhythm on the handle of her wand.

She hadn't considered how tortured she would feel, not going to see what Severus wanted. The curiosity was eating away at her, though she mentally berated herself for it.

_Don't be ridiculous – it's obvious he's up to no good._

But I just want to see what he wants!

_No good. Duh._

He might not. We were good enough friends before, weren't we?

_He's a Slytherin. He doesn't forgive and forget. And much more of this and you might as well convert to a Gryffindor, get a grip!_

Shut up.

_You shut up._

This was obviously getting Rune nowhere. But what if she could just see…? Test the waters? She could apologise for last night – and Severus was intelligent, he'd understand why she'd intervened. Wouldn't he?

Frustrated, Rune thumped the arm of the futon, earning a surprised look from the people still in the Common Room. She ignored them, thought better of it, and shot them an apologetic glance. That made them even more surprised.

Making up her mind, Rune slipped off the futon. She hesitated. If she left now, everyone would see her – and possibly report her. She turned and ran up the spiral staircase. She stopped halfway up the stairs – unseen by either the Common Room or the dormitory, and pulled out her wand from her belt loop.

This was a spell that she had only studied the theory of – it was a difficult spell, but experience had taught Rune that once you'd mastered the theory, actually performing the spell was the least difficult part.

She tapped herself on the skull with it, and whispered the necessary words. Instantly, she had the quite unpleasant sensation of somebody smashing an egg on her head. The cool feeling spread down to her feet, and, when it had receded, Rune plucked up the courage to look down.

A smiled flickered across her face. She could see the stone flags behind her. The disillusionment charm had worked perfectly. The spell took effect by not making the person or thing invisible, but by changing their outward appearance so that they reflected the world around them – effectively making Rune a human chameleon.

She hurried down the stairs, being careful to make no noise, and moving quickly so that there was less chance of someone coming up to bed while she was in the staircase. Being hard to see did not make her insubstantial.

When she reached the Common Room, she had to quickly duck out of the way as a large chunk of the Common Room's occupants headed upstairs. This made it easier for Rune to slip out of the room unseen, grabbing her cloak along the way.

Rune hurried down the spiral staircase, only just remembering to cast the same charm on the cloak before entering the corridor, which Professor Slughorn patrolled until ten o' clock.

When he came up the corridor, Rune remembered that she was unseen, but still could not help from flattening herself against the cold wall. She tip-toed along the rest of the corridor and hurried towards the Entrance Hall when she was quite sure that Slughorn's rather bulbous figure could not hear her footsteps. When she arrived, the door was thankfully not yet locked, so she slipped out into the cool night air.

Rune would not allow herself to doubt. She refused to think about the _maybe_s of this situation – she would just walk, and hope that Severus was feeling as reasonable as she.

Halfway to the Forbidden Forest, Rune removed the disillusionment charms from herself and her cloak, deeming them unnecessary under the cover of darkness. She padded along the dry grass, heading towards the Forest. She knew exactly where Severus would want them to meet. It was the same place that every fight against school rules took place, but she hoped that wouldn't be its purpose that night.

She had nearly reached the edge of the trees when a noise came from up ahead, causing her to gasp and look around quickly for cover.

"For God's sake, shut up, we'll get caught!"

"We won't get caught, Moony, stop fretting. Besides, you wanted to come."

Black and Lupin! But where –

"Couldn't abandon us in our hour of need, huh?"

Oh, yes, there he was. What the heck was he doing…oh.

A Ravenclaw's mind is not fooled easily. Yet, when it is, it catches on fast. Rune hadn't any idea what Snape wanted, but if it involved both her _and_Potter, then things were going to get ugly fast. Now she was angry.

"Potter!" She hissed. "Oi! Potter!"

All went silent – the whispering voices stopped. Then, slowly, "who's there?"

Rune walked towards the sound. "It's me."

"Rune Draconis?" Potter sounded an unhappy mixture of incredulousness and irritation. "What the _hell-_"

"-Am I doing here? Believe me, I'm as surprised to see you as you are to see me. I'm guessing you got a message from Snape, too."

"_Too?_ What … you got one as well? _Why?"_

"Potter, put the pieces together." At this point, Rune had caught up with the trio. Though she could not see their faces, a shock emanated from all. It was not Potter who first twigged, but Lupin.

"Oh," he said. "Oh God."

"What?" Demanded Black harshly.

"This is his plan." Said Lupin.

Rune smiled grimly, though they could not see her. "Yes. Just for me and Potter initially, I think, but Snape must have guessed that you two would also come. Great. Come on, let's go."

She turned to leave, and had even gone a few steps before registering that no one had followed her. She turned back. "Oh, come on, you're not serious. You know, there's a line in the Gryffindor House that you seem about to cross between bravery and lunacy."

There was a pause, then, "it's just Snivellus," said Black.

Rune let out a loud sigh of exasperation. "Don't be thick. Do you truly believe that Snape would pick a fight with you, in a deserted place, unless he had an unfair advantage?"

There was a pause. "She has a point," Lupin said quietly.

"Look, Runeyclaw." Potter began. "Nothing that Snivellus can throw at us will be a problem. It's never been before."

"Potter, you do remember last night, don't you?"

"I could have handled it!"

"If by 'handle it' you mean 'enjoy-a-nice-stay-in-the-Hospital-Wing' then, sure!"

"Oh, shut up."

"_You _shut up."

"Um, guys, sorry to break the maturity, but James, we need to head off, and Rune, if you're going to come, then fine, if you're not, that's also fine." Black intervened.

Rune bit her lip, then. "I'm coming."

"Why?" Potter asked grouchily. "We can handle it, we're Gryffindors. We don't want a Ravenclaw."

"That's exactly why I'm coming. God knows what'll happen if I'm not there; if anything you _need _a Ravenclaw."

Potter assessed her silently. "You really should've been in Gryffindor, y'know. Come on, then."

Rune and the Marauders walked further into the Forest, not talking any more, in case Snape could hear them. They were about a hundred yards from the Fight Glade when-

"Wait!" Rune whispered. "Hold still a sec, I want to try something."

She had discovered how to shield charms only last week, and now seemed like the perfect moment to use it. To shield a charm was to make it undetectable to the human eye and ear – no flashes or bangs. So she aimed through the undergrowth into the Glade at a thick tree branch and whispered, _"Diffindo."_

There was a loud crack in the Forest before them, followed by numerous flashes of light zooming towards the sound. Rune could hear the others gasp behind her; though her heart was pounding so hard it was obscuring her hearing slightly.

"How many?" Rune breathed.

Black's voice whispered in her ear, "about fifteen. Oh, crap."

"Still feel like you want to carry on?"

She could feel him stiffen with wounded pride. "Of course."

Rune Draconis sighed. "Onwards we go, then."

**So…what d'you think? Love? Hate? Tell me all the same.**


	6. A Forbidden Fight

**Obviously, if I owned Harry Potter, I would not be writing this. I would be busy on the eighth book. Great Jubilee, by the way – I gorged myself of Chocolate Crackle Tops... Call me immature if you like.**

**Enjoy! By the way, Snape is incredibly difficult to write about, so bear with me, please.**

The unlikely group's footfalls seemed horribly loud in the darkness. In the absence of light, Rune had grabbed the back of one of the Marauders' robes, and despite a heavy sigh, Rune could tell that whoever it was, was glad of the reassurance that there was someone else behind him.

Abruptly, something struck Rune. If she could get to talk to Snape first, then it might not come to a fight. He was an intelligent boy – surely they could prevent this. This was a slim hope, perhaps, but a hope nonetheless.

She gripped the robes more tightly, pulling them back towards her and leaning in towards the place where the ear must be. From the wavy hair, she realised it must be Black. Before a rather taken aback stiffening of his back, he understood her intent, and leaned down a little to let her whisper in his ear. "I'm going to go talk to him, okay?" She breathed.

He stopped abruptly, and then shook his head. Rune leaned up again, and whispered, so quietly it barely made a sound, "Don't be stupid – I might be able to stop this coming to blows." And then, as an afterthought, "Please don't try to be chivalrous – it doesn't suit you."

He sighed, but conveyed the message to the rest of the group. His whispers, though incomprehensible to Rune, still seemed too loud.

She started forwards, inching her way ahead of the group, but a hand caught her arm – Black. She shook herself free and carried on more briskly, but could still hear the whisper carried on the breeze to her.

"Be careful."

How strange. An odd feeling rose up in Rune's mind by those two simple words, a strange combination of confusion, wonder, and most perplexingly, joy. She shook her head to try to disperse the feeling, but it lingered. Maybe he had hexed her.

Rune stepped forward into the clearing, her arms spread out before her, the universal gesture for _I come in peace._ Hopefully the Slime King would understand.

Suddenly, a light flared. Though it was not especially bright, in the previous pitch blackness, it stung her eyes and she backed into a tree, rough bark reassuringly solid against her back. She hoped that the Marauders had been smart enough to hide or something while she talked with Snape.

Talk of the Devil. There he was. At the other edge of the clearing, Severus Snape was leaning against a tree, his black eyes glittering in the light of the orb he had just conjured.

"Hello, Severus," Rune said, thankful that her voice didn't tremble. "Where's the entourage?"

Snape stood up straighter from the tree, and spoke confusedly, "Entourage?" Then, his face cleared. "Ah. _You_ broke the branch? Was that a shielded spell?"

"Just testing the waters." Rune sounded incredibly blasé to her own ears about the entire situation. She would have been proud of herself, except her palms were sweating profusely. She tried to wipe them inconspicuously on her trousers.

"But that's NEWT standard," Snape said, biting his lip afterwards to show his regret for letting slip something to her that could be construed as admiration.

"Yes. I am a Ravenclaw for a reason, you know."

"Barely," Snape's upper lip curled.

Rune clenched her sweaty fists. "I'm sorry, Severus, didn't catch that. Care to repeat?"

He smirked, pleased to have cut through her composure. "Touchy, are we?"

Rune took a deep breath, hating herself for giving him the satisfaction of getting a response of that kind out of her. "About some things, I can be. It's one of my flaws."

"Along with sticking your nose in things that don't concern you?"

Ah, yes. There it was. The naked challenge.

"Maybe," said Rune, trying to keep things light. "Though, perhaps, people shouldn't mind so much – I have a very nice nose."

"Enough." Snape uttered the word quietly, but with contempt. His ebony wand was in his hand now, and Rune mirrored the movement. It was then that Rune realised her mistake. She could not reason with him. He had made up his mind the second she had stolen his moment from him; the moment that he finally had his enemy at his mercy.

Rune suddenly saw Snape more clearly than she had ever seen anyone. He was single minded. Once he decided something, he would carry it through to the bitter end – even a decision made in anger, as this one undoubtedly was.

"So," Rune said quietly. "Are you going to scream at me about how I've ruined your life, or just attack me outright with no thought for anyone's safety? It wouldn't be a first."

Snape's face twisted, and Rune suddenly had to duck out of the way as a jet of violet light flew over her head. Rune retaliated, aiming a Stunning spell at him, which he deflected.

A large group of black-robed figures jumped out of the trees around her, all fifth-year height apart from one, who was considerably taller. Rune let out a small cry as a jet of green light flashed, just missing her. The group were running towards her, while Snape leaned back against his tree, face contorted in hatred.

Rune looked around desperately. There had to be something she could use, anything! She dodged a dangerously close curse, spinning around once like a ballerina. She aimed her wand at Snape, watched him raise his wand, ready to shield it, and cried, "_Diffindo_!"

The spell shot out of the tip of her wand and soared above Snape's shield charm, hitting the tree behind him. There was yet another crack, and the tree rocked one, before it fell – right on top of at least two of the figures.

Rune barely had time to feel anxious for the health of the two before a hand covered her face, and an arm roughly seized her waist, lifting her clear off the ground. She screamed past the limb obstructing her vision and mouth, kicking her legs furiously. She jerked her calf up between the tall man's legs, and though he let out an obscenity, there was no other reaction aside from tightening his grip so much it caused jolts of pain to spread like wildfire across her torso.

Suddenly the pressure eased, and Rune tumbled to the ground with the man. His limbs fell across hers, and, disgusted, she scrambled free from him. She got up just in time to see the three Marauders running into the clearing.

"Oh, here come the cavalry!" She muttered, before spinning round and trying to distract the others by engaging one of the boys – for she was sure they were Snape's school friends – in a fierce duel. From the burly set of his shoulders, she suspected Mulciber, a foul-mouthed, unpleasant fellow who got into almost as many fights as the Marauders did. She could not be entirely sure, because his face was obscured by a gleaming silver mask.

He dodged her Stunner and full body-bind curse, and aimed a particularly nasty jet of electric-blue light towards her head, which she deflected.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ He roared at her, and though she ducked sideways, the spell caught her on the wrist. Her wand flew out of her hand and into Mulciber's. A harsh laugh came from the inside of the mask, and he lowered his wand.

Rune punched him in the throat.

He let out a cry like a strangled chicken and clutched at his neck. Rune followed up the uppercut with a well-placed kick in the kidneys and a side-punch to the head. He fell like a stone, leaving Rune with a throbbing fist but a certain amount of pride. She grabbed both of the wands from where they had fallen, and looked up for the next contestant. The Marauders had obviously been in enough fights to know how to handle themselves in one – Black and Lupin were dealing with two at once, while Potter had his hands full with three.

This left three free – the others must have scarpered like cowards once they saw that the fight would not be as unfair as Snape had predicted. Snape himself could not be seen. One of the three was running towards her, full pelt, with no thought for his wand – maybe he had been disarmed by a Marauder.

He was advancing at an alarming rate, and all spells that Rune knew seemed to fly out of her head. She staggered slightly, her legs feeling unsteady. What was wrong with her? There was a branch above her head. If she could just remember that severing charm, she'd be able to cut it…

Rune's head swam. The person was still running towards her – he would reach her in a second… With the last ounce of energy she could muster, she jumped up and caught hold of the branch between her sleepy fingers. It was yanked down by her body weight and the end slammed into the chest of the runner. With a grunt of pain, he went down, winded, and Rune's head suddenly cleared.

She kicked the boy on the ground. "That was a dirty trick." She told him, and, with that, stupefied him with her newly remembered spell.

One of the two others had been engaged in a duel with Lupin, but the other was aiming at Potter's head.

There was no time to do more than shout a warning. "_James!"_ Rune yelled. James looked round to see the enemy, just in time for the Stunner to issue from the man's wand and hit in square in the chest. James crumpled to the ground.

Rune sprinted over, casting a Bat-bogey hex at the offender as she went. Remus went down a second later from a violent spell that slammed him into a great oak and back to the ground. The five remaining friends of Snape became suddenly much more brazen.

Sirius backed up to Rune, and they wordlessly arranged themselves into a defensive back-to-back position. Snape's friends seemed now so sure of their victory that they took their time in advancing. This gave Rune time to utter one last nonverbal, shielded spell.

_Renervate! _She shouted as loud as she could inside her head - and, to her left, James gave a jerk on the ground. Rune barely had the time to become aware of that fact before a jet of orange light made contact with her leg, and she was jerked upwards by it with a yell. Her wand slipped out of her sweatyhand, and she hung upside down in the air, struggling and swearing.

"Bastard!" She shouted at the group of mask-wearers in general. They laughed. _Laughed. At her._ That did it. Rune let out a stream of profanity that best befitted a drunken brawl – and even then it would have been harsh.

This made them double over in hilarity and Rune even angrier. Taking advantage of her distraction, Sirius and James made short work of the group, binding them together with an _Incarcerous _jinx.

While James went off to rouse Remus, the blood was rushing to Rune's head. "Get me down!" She hissed at Sirius.

Sirius turned to look at her, and, even upside-down, Rune could see the smirk on his face. "You're all red."

"Black, if you don't get me down _right now…_"

Sirius laughed for the first time that night and pulled out his wand, muttering the counter-curse. He deposited Rune unceremoniously on the ground, adding to her now vast array of scratches and bruises.

She righted herself, remembered something, fell back down to her knees and scrabbled around on the ground for her wand.

"Here," Sirius held it out to her by the handle. She snatched it from him and got up again.

"Did you take care of Snape?" Rune asked, surveying the battlefield and not looking at him. The five that had laughed at Rune were now tied up with some crudely-conjured rope, and various other unconscious (or she hoped they were unconscious) bodies littered the field.

"No…" Sirius answered, and then hollered to James. "Prongs, did you get Snape?"

"Nope, and Moony didn't either, I was fighting opposite!"

"That cowardly little…" Sirius muttered under his breath.

Rune didn't reply. The tall man on the other side of the field was stirring – the one who had grabbed her, remember? He stood, and at first, no one noticed him but Rune, because Sirius had gone to join James to try to awaken Remus.

As the man stood, his mask fell away, and Rune could see him face.

"YOU!" She yelled suddenly, and the other three (Remus having apparently rejoined the world of the wakeful) all spun around.

The man's familiar features contorted in an unfamiliar expression, and he turned tail and ran deeper into the Forest.

"_No!"_ Rune screamed, completely out of control with passion. She was barely aware of the shouts of the Marauders, the only thing she knew was that she would find that man, and she would make him pay.

She ran after him. Ran deeper into the forest, jumping tree roots like Muggle hurdles. Some place in her mind knew that someone was chasing after her, but her brain had no time to decipher the shouts directed at her. She let her legs take her deeper into the Forbidden Forest, away from safety.

**So, another chapter up! This was mostly combat, which I'm sorry for, but it had to be written. Also, I do get some weird kick out of writing Rune into beating up a load of wannabe Death Eaters.**

**PLEASE review – I'll write up the dedications in the next chapter.**


	7. New Loyalties

**Hi! I said I'd write dedications, so here they are:**

**ThatOneDiabeticGirl – thanks for sticking with me and giving me new ideas for the story! Charlotte's going to come into her own in a chapter or so – I'm considering changing POVs.  
>Julie662 – Hi! Ravenclaws do get an unfair amount of stick, don't they? We must campaign for better rights! Sorry about the atrocious amount of cliff-hangers in this, by the way.<br>Vue Lorner – My most recent reviewer! Thanks for the reviews – please do keep them coming, I love them.**

**A side note – I'm rewriting the first few chapters, because obviously they don't start out very strongly. Just so you know.**

Rune hurtled through the forest, following – or rather, chasing – the shadowy black figure. As they left behind the glow of the clearing, he became even more difficult to see – for minutes at a time Rune would lose him, only to catch a glimpse way up ahead.

These glimpses became more and more widely spaced, until Rune was left spinning in circles in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, unable to see the pursued and completely lost.

"Where are you?" She yelled out into the trees, gaining no answer and just making herself even angrier.

A flash of red light suddenly flew at a murderous pace out of the trees. She had no time to defend herself, no time to move- the spell hit her squarely in the chest, and her wand flew out of her hand. Rune barely had time to feel relieved that the spell hadn't been a nasty hex – or worse – before the horror of what had just happened struck her.

She was alone and unarmed in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with an all but invisible enemy _somewhere _in the trees around her. She heard a sudden caw of a bird above her, and jumped into the air, startled and more than a little scared.

The producer of the noise was a large, majestic looking bird, looking imperiously down on her from a high branch. An eagle. The symbol of her House. Rune took comfort from that thought.

She was still looking up at it when the second jet of light flew at her. This time, she crumpled to the ground.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius swore breathlessly, his feet carrying him further in the direction that Rune had been running. He didn't even know what had happened – one moment he was shaking Moony awake and the next … the next the girl had sprinted out of the clearing in the pursuit of one of Snape's fighters. He hadn't thought – he knew that. He had just left Moony and Prongs' side and tore after her. Doubtless he'd get teased for that later.

The Forest seemed nastily quiet; the only sound being his own loud breathing. Suddenly he stopped. Faintly, barely visible and only for a second, a pinkish hue had lit up a part of the Forest before him.

"_Lumos,_" he muttered hurriedly, and the tip of his wand glowed yellow, lighting up the trees around him. It would have doubtless given him away, but he could more than handle just one of Snivelly's fighters.

He directed the light downwards at the twig-strewn ground, illuminating twig after twig, but no fallen Ravenclaw. After about half a minute of scouring, his wand-light shone off a colour that looked out of place among the dark earth. It was a wand, about eleven inches long, made of oak.

Sirius recognised it instantly, and a quick, cold stab of anxiety pierced him. Risking it, he called out, "Rune?" No answer. He ran more quickly into the trees and – WUMPH!

His boot had caught on something, and he had fallen flat on his face. Though most of his body was protected by something beneath him, his head was hit rather hard on the compacted Earth. He swore profusely for a few moments, quite forgetting any potential danger.

He then became aware that the thing cushioning his body was … another body. He yelled in shock and jumped up. Rune's body was lying prostrate on the ground, still as the grave.

Sirius knelt down beside her, fumbling at her wrist for a second for a pulse. He found one, beating steadily despite the ruckus of a few minutes ago. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and sat back on his haunches.

His glowing wand was lighting up the unconscious girl's face, and for once, Sirius let his eyes drift over the angles of her face. In sleep her cynical exterior had vanished, and her dark hair was sprawling over her face.

Despite her rather unorthodox Sorting, he really couldn't see why the Hat had placed her in Ravenclaw. She was so obviously Gryffindor material, no matter how clever she was – and he knew she was clever. In both Ancient Runes and Philosophy she had achieved 100% in their most recent batch of exams, and had been given Higher Tier work in Transfiguration – she was the talk of the teachers (He and Prongs had overheard Dumbledore and Slughorn discussing her while hiding in the Staffroom).

"Padfoot?"

Sirius looked up, distracted. His two friends were calling for him from somewhere not too far away.

"Over here," he called, standing.

Remus and James came running towards them. They stopped dead at the sight of Rune.

"What's wrong with her?" Remus demanded, shocked.

"It's okay, there's a pulse," Sirius assured them. "I don't know where that bloke went, though." His voice sounded horribly fake.

There was a slight pause, and then James asked the question that had been burning all three of their minds for the past ten minutes. "Who was he?"

"I don't know." Said Remus.

"Me neither."

Remus pulled his wand out of his robes and directed it at Rune. Sirius almost stepped forward to stop him, but then berated himself for being stupid and gave Remus the benefit of the doubt.

"_Renervate."_

At once Rune gave a hoarse gasp as though she had been underwater for a long time, and sat bolt upright. She looked around wildly before registering the presence of the three people around her.

"Where'd he go?" She demanded.

"Yeah, we're fine, don't worry." James smirked. "He ran off. We'll never catch him now – even if we were stupid enough to go running into the Forbidden Forest alone."

Rune gave him a look that would have sent Godric Gryffindor himself running for his mummy, and stood. "Where's my wand?" She asked quietly. She seemed thoroughly miserable now that the thrill of the fight was over.

Sirius handed it over with half a smile, unsuccessfully trying to cheer her up.

"Right," Said Remus. "We should _really _go back to the castle now. We've got lessons tomorrow and we're going to be exhausted."

Trust Moony to think of classes at a time like this, thought Sirius, but nevertheless led the way back to the school. Moony and Rune lagged behind a little, while James walked a little faster to catch up with Sirius.

"What do you think happened?" He asked in a low voice.

"What d'you mean?"

James gave him a look that said clearly, _duh_, and replied, "a Ravenclaw. Running recklessly into a forest after an unknown man. Something's a bit off , don't you think?"

"We could ask her who he was," Sirius suggested, earning himself yet another look.

"You think she's gonna tell us? She only started calling us by our first names twenty minutes ago. _But_, don't look, but Moony's talking to her now. He'll tell us what happened."

Despite the instruction, Sirius looked around. Rune and Remus were deep in conversation, Rune's arms wrapped around herself while Remus spoke softly. The scene somehow managed to give Sirius a twinge of unease.

He looked back to see James smirking at him.

"What?"

"You know what."

"I really don't, so do tell."

James gave a supposed-to-be-subtle-but-really-very-obvious nod behind him.

"James, what in the name of Merlin's fragrant left sock –"

James jerked his head in the direction of the couple behind them.

"What about her?"

"Oh, you're hopeless. I'll just have fun watching you unravel."

Sirius realised that pretending not to know what James was talking about wasn't doing him any favours. "You're wrong."

"Am I, now?"

"Yes! Come on James, be serious."

"That role's already taken."

"Ha ha."

"Fine, just tell me this. What colour are her eyes?"

"Dark brown, why?"

"See! It's starting!"

"Shut up."

James laughed. "Oh, to be young and in love!"

"For Merlin's sake, shut up, they'll hear you!"

James stopped. "So you admit it?"

Sirius threw his arms in the air. "No! But it could be embarrassing, obviously." Seeing that James had no intention of letting this go, Sirius shoved him into a handily placed bush.

With a muffled "Oi!" James emerged from a clump of leaves and thorns to the laughter of Sirius and the confusion of the other two.

James lunged for Sirius, but tripped on a vine and fell flat on his face. Even Rune cracked a smile at that, and James seized Sirius's ankle and brought the laughing teen crashing down onto the ground.

"Right, Black, you've had this coming to you for years," James threatened.

"What are you going to do, Potter?" Sirius grinned tauntingly, "Trip over me?"

"That's it!"

James pounced on him, throwing mock-punches in time to Sirius's hoots of, "You suck, Potter! You hit like a bloody flobberworm! You're just tickling!"

Sirius kicked Prongs away from him, rolling away from the fist, chortling.

"Are they always like this?" Rune mock-whispered to Remus.

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked. "They're behaving themselves in the presence of a lady."

That punctured Sirius's laughing bubble like razors through silk.

He shoved James off him and stood, a smile still forced onto his face. Maddeningly, James understood the reason for the ceasefire, bowed to Rune, and carried on as though nothing had happened.

Sirius caught up with him and muttered under his breath, "James, if you don't let this go, I will never stop teasing you about Lily."

Predictably, Lily's name brought James up short.

"Well, I'll say this," James murmured. "I think you've got competition from Moony."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius led the way out of the forest, James walking with him. Rune lagged behind, curling her arms protectively around herself, and was therefore surprised when Remus waited for her.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

Rune nodded sharply. She wasn't about to spill her guts to a boy who she'd only spoken a few words to. Nevertheless, Remus stayed calmly, walking quietly beside her.

Rune glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He looked more alive under the infrequent light of the freshly risen moon than she had ever seen him. His hazel eyes shone beneath the white light. He didn't pressure her to speak, just strolled amiably beside her.

After five minutes of this, Rune spoke. "You're not very like James and Sirius, are you?"

Remus smiled briefly at her words, and considered. "No, I suppose not. But they're the best friends I could hope for – despite first impressions."

"And they need you," Rune realised.

Remus looked down at her. "You think so?"

She nodded. "I think they'd be even more stupid if you weren't with them. You take care of them." She paused, and then offered him a small smile.

There was another brief silence, but Remus broke it this time. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Said Rune flatly.

"Okay."

Surprised, Rune looked up. "You're just going to let it go?"

"You wouldn't tell me if I pressured you, would you?"

"Do you want to know?"

"If you want to tell me."

Rune raised her eyebrows. "In another life, you'd be an amazing psychologist."

"I do my best." He smiled despite himself. "So?"

Rune bit her lip, and took a deep breath. "That was my father, Remus." His name felt funny on her lips. To cover up her embarrassment for that thought, she carried on talking, speaking quietly in case the two in front heard. "He … joined Voldemort five years ago, and left my mum when she wouldn't join him. After … after hurting her."

Remus looked down at her, a furrow carved between his eyebrows by her tale. "I'm so sorry."

She shrugged, shoving up her barriers again. "That's okay. We all have skeletons in our closets."

Remus smiled. In the half-light it looked almost bitter. Probably just the way the light fell.

Trying to lighten the mood, Rune said, "So, James fancies Lily?"

Remus snorted. "Smooth, Rune. Really smooth."

The mood considerably sunnier, they discussed anything from James' love life to the Transfiguration homework that Dumbledore had set them.

They were in the middle of talking about the Nerafulus hex when Sirius shoved James into a bush. The ensuing fight drove all remaining dark thoughts temporarily from her mind.

When they continued into the school, all four of them keeping their voices down as so not to be overheard, a tall figure came into view, silhouetted against the open door of the castle.

"Oh God." Rune whispered. "We've been caught. I told you we should have gone back, I told you!"

"Calm down, Runeyclaw, we've been caught before, we're not perfect."

"But _I_ haven't, Potter! I've got a clean record. Oh, we're going to be in _so_ much trouble. Who is it?"

All four of them squinted through the dark.

James' voice was considerably higher when he next spoke. "It's Dumbledore."

"_What?"_

Rune dragged her hands down her face. "Why would he even be waiting?"

Sirius answered that one without looking at her. "Someone must have dobbed on us."

"Who would do that?" She demanded of the group in general.

"Not a Gryffindor."

"Are you suggesting something, Black?" Rune flared up. "I've been through a lot tonight that I hoped I'd never have to go through in my whole life, and, to be frank, it's your entire fault. So I don't think you're the one who should be throwing around accusations here."

"_My entire fault?_" Sirius rounded on her, both of them speaking furiously yet in whispers. "Oh, I like that. You were welcome to have left! More than welcome!"

"Without _me_ you'd be in some substantial pain right now at the hands of Severus Snape!"

"Without _you_ Snape wouldn't have even made us meet him here!"

"Oh, so now it's my fault?"

"Yes, if you like!"

They were standing nose to nose now, both an angry shade of red. It was Remus who attempted to break the tension. "Guys, this really isn't the right time."

"I agree," a voice came from behind them.

They all jumped, and spun around. Professor Dumbledore was standing behind them, his blue eyes flashing like shards of ice behind his half moon spectacles.

Rune felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over her, and the other three looked similarly pale.

"Professor…" James started, but Dumbledore interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Normally I would ask what the four of you were doing out of bed at this time of the night, but, as it happens, I already know. Therefore all I can ask is what in the world you were thinking, to accept the invitation of Mr. Snape – you endangered the health of a fellow student without a thought to her safety, and didn't give a thought to your own safety, either. It is very dangerous to be out of your beds at night, let alone being out of the castle!"

The boys' heads were hanging.

"Professor," Rune said in a small voice. "Professor, they didn't lead me out here, I came of my own accord. I'm … really sorry."

Dumbledore turned his piercing gaze on Rune, who met it nervously.

"Nevertheless, Miss Draconis, these boys were foolish enough to pull you into their own vendetta against Mr. Snape, and, considering your record, it is clear that they are already having a negative effect on you."

"No, Professor," A part of Rune was screaming at her to stop arguing with a teacher, but she stupidly continued. "I … I told them to go. They thought it was a stupid idea, but I thought it would be … it would be …" She trailed off at the look on Dumbledore's face. It was very serious, but deep down she thought she could see a glimmer of a smile.

"I suggest you go back to bed."

They all nodded, and turned to go.

"And, Miss Draconis?" Rune turned back, biting her lip. "Try not to lead them astray, won't you?"

Rune smiled a little, nodded, and hurried inside.

As they hurried up the marble staircase, they passed a girl in blue flannel pyjamas. Charlotte was determinedly looking the other way.

On the seventh floor the boys made to leave, but stopped.

"Thanks," James said awkwardly.

Rune twisted one side of her mouth up in a smile. "No point not taking advantage of my clean record, eh?"

And she turned to leave for Ravenclaw Tower.

**Oh, Rune Rune Rune. The things you get yourself into... PLEASE review!**


	8. Slytherin Rumours

**Hello, all! So sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been kind of busy. Fighting Death Eaters and stuff. You know, normal things. Well, here goes chapter 8! I hope you like it!**

When Rune woke in the morning, Charlotte had already gone down to breakfast.

Good, Rune thought savagely as she pulled on her black robes. Who needed friends like that anyway?

After splashing water on her face, she left the Common Room and headed down to breakfast. Feeling thoroughly bad-tempered, she stalked into the Great Hall.

"Hey!"

Rune started and looked around. All four Marauders were sitting around the Gryffindor table, waving at her to join them. A warm feeling spread through her, and, unable to suppress a smile, she walked over to them.

Sirius and Remus moved up so she could sit between them.

Rune hesitated. "You people do know that we're supposed to sit at our House tables?"

"Yeah, well, we can shove you off in a minute," Sirius encouraged. Rune grinned and sat down, pleased that the argument last night had been forgotten.

"So, you three are looking good for people who've only had about five hours of sleep. I feel like the living dead."

James grinned conspiratorially. "Well, we have a secret weapon."

"Your makeup?"

James fought a smile. "Close, but no. Moony and I…"

Remus coughed loudly.

"Oh, alright then, Moony is very good at mixing up a potion that stops you feeling tired. It's sort of like coffee, only better, and you don't look like … well, like you do."

"Thanks."

Remus intervened. "Here, take some." He produced a crystal phial full of a clear red liquid and offered it to her.

She eyed it dubiously. "Didn't you get an _E_ in Potions?"

"That's a good mark!"

"Oh, yeah."

Remus smiled. "Come on, drink some. You need it – otherwise you'll fall asleep next lesson."

Seeing the truth in this, Rune reached for the phial, and uncorked it. "How much do I take?"

"No more than a couple of drops, or you'll be bouncing off the walls." Sirius said before Remus could answer.

Rune tipped two drops onto her tongue and swallowed before the horrible taste of liquorice could spread around her mouth. The effect was instantaneous. She could feel the hours falling off her, the shadows under her eyes filling, until she felt as fresh as if she'd just tumbled out of bed after a nice long sleep.

"Now I recognise you," Sirius grinned.

Rune blinked and examined her reflection in a spoon. "Christ, look at my hair!"

"And she's back!" James threw his arms to the ceiling as though thanking God.

Rune pulled out her wand from a pocket of her robes, and directed it at the tangled mess.

"_Tergeo," _she muttered, waving her wand in a crescent motion. Her hair rippled slightly, all the way from the roots to the tips, and suddenly felt smooth and silky.

"Whoa, you're clean, Runeyclaw!"

"Shut it, Prongs," Rune smiled a little despite herself and reached into her bag for her hairbrush.

"Yes!" James crowed.

"What?" She asked midway through pulling the brush through her newly revitalised hair.

"I have earned privileges!"

"What do you mean?"

"I am no longer merely a surname – I have new life!"

"Whatever you say, Potter."

Sirius rolled his eyes, smiling. "Down at the bottom again!"

Rune laughed, and reached for the bacon, but – "ouch!" Someone had shoved her from behind, and her hairbrush flew out of her hands and into James's forehead.

A gale of laughter called out from behind them. Rune whipped round to see someone she only knew by sight – a Slytherin fifth year with curly caramel-coloured hair and green-brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," said Rune, not sorry at all, "but who the heck are _you?_"

The girl stopped laughing. She had the air of someone who had been brought up in a wealthy family and therefore thought that everyone should know her name. "Darcy Rathmore. I obviously know who you are – all other Ravenclaws have too much pride to sit at the Gryffindor table."

"Fame at last." Said Rune, unimpressed.

"I think you're sitting at the wrong table," said Darcy, tipping her head to one side. "Wouldn't want to get in trouble, now would we? That's not a very Ravenclaw thing to do."

"Shove off, Rathmore." Said Sirius coldly.

Rathmore turned a scornful eye on him. "When I want your opinion – which I never will – I'll ask for it. They aren't worth the stone I'm standing on."

"Exactly, my opinions are cheap," said Sirius. "Like you, in fact."

There was a stunned silence. Even Rathmore seemed shocked. James, Remus and Rune all gaped at Sirius in open-mouthed disbelief.

When she spoke again, Rathmore's voice was like razorblades cutting through silk. "Listen to me very carefully, you blood traitorous worm." Sirius surged to his feet angrily, but Rathmore continued. "You'll regret saying that to me; nobody insults me. As disgusting as I find the thought of you poisoning the minds of others with your Muggle-loving manure and panting over people of a much higher status than you – no matter what they do with it – I could have put up with it if you hadn't just said that."

Rathmore gave Rune a nasty look, flipped her hair over her shoulder and stalked off.

There was an awkward pause. "Well," said Rune eventually. "She seems nice."

Sirius sat down, looking murderous. "My brother has odd taste, don't you think?"

"What d'you mean?"

"That's his – Regulus's – girlfriend."

Rune's mouth fell open. She hadn't even known that Sirius _had _a brother. "Your brother's going out with a Slytherin?"

"My brother _is _a Slytherin. I did tell you this."

Rune's mind flipped back five years to the conversation in Madam Malkins' clothes shop. How long ago it seemed now! "Oh yeah, I remember."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

In the lessons that followed, Charlotte and Rune sat as far apart from each other as they could, but Rune did get some other unwanted company.

In their next Potions lesson (a double-lesson with the Slytherins), Rune sat in her usual corner. She was quite pleased with the way the lesson was going; Snape was leaving her alone, as was Darcy Rathmore. They were up in the corner with Lucius Malfoy, laughing together.

"I need you all to divide into pairs now." Professor Slughorn said from the top of the class.

Rune panicked. She hated pair-work, and who could she pair up with, anyway. Charlotte was hardly an option, and nobody else talked to her if they could help it.

"Budge up." Came an imperious voice from behind her. Rune turned – and saw, to her utter amazement, Darcy Rathmore standing there, dangling her satchel from one hand.

"I'm not working with you." Said Rune without thinking.

The girl raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow. "Yes, you are. Budge up."

Rune was torn; she didn't want to cause a fuss, but this Slytherin was the last person she wanted to work with.

"Quite enough chat over there!" Called Slughorn, and so Rune cursed and sidled up to the other side of the desk.

Rathmore sat down beside her, and pulled out her things from her satchel, placing them on the table after hearing Slughorn's instructions for them to mix an Amnesiac Solution.

"So," She said, after chat had broken out again. "You're friends with Potter and his gang now?"

Rune raised her chin defiantly. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes, I am."

"Shame."

Rune was about to answer angrily when something suddenly came to mind. "Rathmore!" She blurted out. "Are you that Rathmore family that was in the Daily Prophet the other week?"

Darcy looked pleased, and a smile crossed her face. "Yes, that's us."

Rune's eyebrows shot up. She'd known Rathmore was upper-class; you could tell in the way she acted, but this was a whole new level. The Rathmores had the ear of everyone in the country; and had only one daughter, so this must be the heiress to the entire Rathmore estate! No wonder she thought well of herself!

"Anyway," said Darcy, looking more cheerful, "Just thought I should let you know, you're on a bad track with that Sirius Black."

Rune went as red as a beetroot. "I don't know what you mean," she mumbled.

"Tell that to your face!" Laughed Darcy. "Anyways, sorry, but he's bad news. And coming from, well, let's face it, one of the most badass Slytherins in town –" Rune looked up to see if Darcy was trying to be funny, but she looked perfectly serious "- that means a lot."

"Bad news in what way?" Asked Rune, drawn in to the conversation without meaning to be.

Darcy smiled, delighted to have Rune's interest. "He's a player, Rune. I mean, the whole school practically knows it."

"_I_ didn't know it."

Darcy snorted, tossing a shrivelfig into the cauldron. "Well, you're not exactly in the social loop, are you now?"

Most people would have been insulted at this, but Rune thought it was a fair point.

"And besides," Darcy went on. "You could do better. You know Regulus Black? Tall, dark-haired, sexy?"

"No," said Rune stiffly. "But I do know he's your boyfriend."

Darcy gave a light little laugh, as though she'd forgotten. "Well, he has a few friends I could get you in touch with. Think of it as my little project."

For a moment, Rune was almost tempted.

"There's the Halloween Ball coming up soon, too." Said Darcy temptingly. "You could have a date!"

"There's a what?"

Darcy rolled her eyes. "The Halloween Ball, you muppet! It's what everyone's been talking about! Honestly, aren't you _interested _in these things?"

"No," said Rune honestly. "The idea of being in a room with a load of people who don't like me really doesn't appeal to me, thanks."

Darcy laughed, obviously thinking Rune was joking.

"And anyway," Rune said hastily, "I'm fine without a date, thanks. Really."

"Whatever you say," said Darcy innocently. "But you're my project now. I'll get you on the right tracks, don't worry."

And before Rune could protest, or say anything else, Slughorn called, "time's up!", and the lesson ended.

Darcy swept out of the dungeon with Snape and Lucius in tow, leaving Rune with a lot to think about. And a dress to find!

**Review, please! I LOVE reviews!**


	9. Shopping and Shouting

**Greetings, all! Hope you like this chapter! Thanks to ThatOneDiabeticGirl (sorry, I haven't gotten used to your new name yet XD) and Zuzanna, who gave me the much needed prodding to get on with this story.**

_How difficult can it be to find a dress? _

This was a thought that Rune was fast regretting having. She hadn't planned on going to this stupid "Halloween Ball", but Darcy's words had spun through her mind constantly for the past week.

_You're on a bad track with that Sirius Black …he's bad news … he's a player you can d…_

Of course she had known that Sirius was friendly to girls. He chatted with them, laughed with them, but so did many boys. She simply hadn't heard these rumours Darcy had spilt over her.

Besides, she was being stupid to even consider that he might … you know … _like _her. She wasn't like the popular, cute girls who knew all the right things to say and knew when to back down.

This had started the spark. She could at least try to be a little more like that, couldn't she? For her own sake, of course. Trying new things was healthy.

This was how Rune had managed to find herself in Hogsmeade, hopelessly trying to find a half-way decent dress amongst all the other hysterically vicious girls. They were all squeezed into Twilfit and Tattings; a relatively new shop that had recently started stocking ballgowns just for the event at Hogwarts.

Rune doubtfully pulled out a red silk dress from the mass of clothes. It had silk straps on the back and was above the knee. _I don't think so,_ she thought. _Who would have the lack of dignity to wear something like that?_

"Give it here, I saw it first!" A snarling Hufflepuff snatched the dress from her fingers. Apparently shopping can bring out the worst in teenage girls.

Rune sighed. She was never going to find something she liked, or anything at all at this rate. She didn't even want to go to this ball. It was a stupid idea, really.

"Ah, my favourite Ravenclaw!"

Rune turned as best she could in the crowded shop. Darcy Rathmore was leaning against a display of clothes, ignoring all the First-Years frantically trying to reach it.

"Hello," said Rune tiredly.

"How's the shopping going?" Asked Darcy blithely.

"Terribly," Rune answered, not in the mood for lying. "I hate shopping. Also, I don't like any of these dresses; they're too gaudy."

Darcy nodded. "You're looking in the wrong places for this dress."

"This is a dress shop."

Darcy ignored this comment, and came over to her. "These dresses are awful." She said more quietly. "I'd tell people they were if I didn't want to outshine them on the night. They're cast-offs from other shops, and besides, they're not going to look good in a dress if they haven't been fitted for it, are they?"

"_Can _you get fitted?"

"Of course." Darcy fought her way through the crowd to this till, with Rune in tow. There was a massive queue, but Darcy just walked around it straight up to the counter.

"Over here," she said commandingly to the shop assistant, who was dealing with another customer. The assistant jumped, and swept over to Darcy instantly. "What can I do for you, Miss Rathmore?"

"Oh, it's not so much me as my friend here," said Darcy superiorly to the poor woman. "She wants a dress fitting, but for a dress that's a little more sophisticated than the rest of the dresses in here. Like from where you got _my _dress, for instance."

"Of course, Miss, of course," twittered the assistant. "Right this way."

Rune found herself being swept through to the back rooms of the shop, which were panelled with dark wood, stuffy, and mercifully quiet.

"How did you do that?" Rune hissed in Darcy's ear.

Darcy smiled. "My family is well-known. We gave the financial backing for most of the businesses on today's market, so they're only too keen to help me out when I need it."

Rune raised her eyebrows. "And _why _are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Helping me out. I mean, I barely even know you."

Darcy blinked. "For fun, I guess."

"Fun?"

"Yeah."

Before Rune could enquire further, the assistant reappeared. "We have a selection of brand-new dresses right here for you to choose from.

"Good." Darcy strode forwards. If you leave them here, Miss Draconis and I will choose one and then organise a fitting for it. You can go; we'll call you back when we're done."

The woman left, returned, staggering under a huge pile of dresses, deposited them on a nearby table and went back to the front room of the shop again.

Rune backed away from the pile of clothes.

Darcy raised one corner of her mouth, looking amused. "Go on, then. Choose one."

"I'm not very good at shopping," muttered Rune.

Darcy sighed impatiently, but with an air of one who is pleased to be the expert in the room.

She picked up the first dress. It was a rich violet colour, with long flowing sleeves and dark embroidery at the hem. "Do you like it?"

Rune shook her head. "No. It's too … girly."

Darcy smiled. "Good decision. This is from a Muggle brand."

Rune stiffened.

"Not that … that fact … is remotely important to the dress." Darcy added hastily. "Here's another one."

"No."

"This one?"

"Umm…"

"I'd strongly advise you to say no. Light green is _not _a good colour for you."

This went on for another few minutes, with Darcy becoming more exasperated by the second. "Oh, come on!" She said after Rune disregarded a short black and red dress. "That one would have suited you!"

"It's too short." Said Rune stubbornly. "And too … flashy."

"Fine." Darcy finally held up the last dress.

"Oh!" Said Rune. "I like that one!"

"Praise Merlin." Darcy muttered. "Yes, I think that one's good too. Good colour."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

After the fitting, Rune went back to the castle with a new (yet hideously expensive) dress. She had been surprised at Darcy's new friendliness, but then came to the conclusion that she must simply have misjudged her. Her meanness towards the others must have been because of the ridiculous Slytherin/Gryffindor feud.

She went immediately up to her dormitory after saying goodbye on rather friendly terms to Darcy in Hogsmeade and hung up her dress in the huge, Louis XVI armoire that they all shared.

Afterwards, Rune went down into the grounds with her favourite book, planning for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.

She got down by the lake and spotted a gnarled old oak tree leaning over it. Smiling, Rune clambered up it like a demented monkey, settling herself down to read in the branches overhanging the bank.

She got barely five minutes peace.

The Marauders were walking under the tree, chatting happily.

"Heya!" Rune called to them. They stopped, and looked all around them for the source of the noise. Rune laughed, but jumped out of the tree with a thud just behind them.

"Runeyclaw!" Sirius laughed.

"I told you not to call me that." Rune smiled anyway. "So, what's up?"

"Not much," said James happily. "We've been keeping our heads down all day."

"That's likely." Rune smirked.

"What've you been doing?" Sirius asked her curiously.

"I've been shopping with Darcy Rathmore."

It was worth saying that simply to see the effects on all their faces. Remus's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. James had a coughing fit. Sirius looked gobsmacked. "_Why?"_ They chorused.

"It wasn't planned or anything," said Rune earnestly. "But she just turned up and helped me find a dress. She was actually … nice."

"Rune, that girl's a complete –!" Here Sirius said an obscenity that made Rune's eyebrows shoot up.

"She's actually not. I think she just doesn't like you because of the whole Slytherins hate Gryffindors thing. If you just got to know her –"

"But she's horrible, Rune! We hate her, remember?" James put in.

"No, we don't!" Rune said, frustrated. "Well, _I _don't."

"Rune, you can do much better than her." Said Sirius.

These words, said to her only a week ago by Darcy herself, fired Rune up. "Well, tough!" She said angrily. "She's my friend, one of my _only _friends actually. Who else do I have?"

"You've got us." Said Remus quietly.

"Really? Looks to me like you only want me around so you can show off!" She shouted. Rune knew she was being totally unreasonable, but just didn't care. "Can you not stand that I have other friends? Is that it? Do you want me to rely on you lot for friendship?"

"No," said Sirius, looking scandalised. "That's not what I want at all – "

"Really? Well, I just don't believe you!"

"Rune – "

But Rune turned on the spot and stormed away from them.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

She regretted her outburst as soon as she got back into the castle. It had been unprecedented and unreasonable, but her emotions had, for the first time that she could remember, overpowered her head.

She walked without noticing where her legs were taking her, until she found herself in the library. She sat down at a window seat and curled her knees up to her chin. She could actually see the Marauders from where she was now. Well, she could see Sirius and James. Where was …

"Rune," said Remus.

She turned her head. "I'm sorry." She said in a small voice. "I don't know why I … I didn't mean to…" She trailed off.

Remus came to sit by her, resting his back against the window. "I think I do. It's Sirius, isn't it?"

Rune lifted her shoulders. "I don't know. I really don't. I haven't shouted at someone like that in … well, ever."

Remus smiled. "It was … unexpected."

Rune gave a weak giggle. A tear slipped out of her eye onto her cheek. Remus didn't try to console her with empty words, just sat there.

"Are you going to the Halloween Ball?" He asked.

Rune brushed away the tear, angry with herself for showing weakness. "I was planning on it. But I'm not sure if I want to anymore." She admitted.

"Well, why don't you go with me?" He offered slowly.

Rune looked up surprised. "With you?"

"Yeah. I mean, as friends. This way Sirius gets jealous and I get a pretty date."

Rune lifted a corner of her mouth. "Thanks. Um, okay then. As friends."

Remus grinned. "I don't want you to have any … misconceptions. I'm not interested in you in that way."

"I know."

Remus stood up and turned to go, but then turned back again. "Don't worry about Sirius." He said abruptly. "I know he seems a bit flirty with girls in general, but he's not a player."

"I didn't think he was." Rune lied quickly. "And, Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

He smiled. "No problem. You really are our friend, you know."

**And another one's done! Hope you liked it. Next up is the Halloween ball, but with an unwelcome gatecrasher...**

**Please review, I can see on the traffic stats that people are reading this... **


	10. Pure Blood, Sweat and Tears

**Hi all! Hopefully, the frequency of my writing will be increasing now, so you can look forward to more chapters soon. But, in the meantime, here you go...  
>Oh, also, it's been brought to my attention that I wasn't very clear as to Charlotte and her and Rune's strop. To clarify, Charlotte was the one who dobbed on them to Dumbledore when they went to the Forbidden Forest.<strong>

In almost no time at all, it was the day before the Ball. Friday dawned a clear, crisp morning, and Rune got up feeling cheerful. She was feeling optimistic towards the Ball; it was a setup she had never experienced before, having never been interested in mundane Wizarding events.

As with the day before, Charlotte dressed at top speed and left quickly for the Great Hall, but Rune didn't actually mind so much today. She had other friends.

Rune abruptly remembered that the last time she had seen two of these "other friends" she had shouted at them and run away.

_Oh dear,_ Rune thought. _I hope they're not too mad at me..._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Sirius was just having the same thought. He pulled on his robes in the Gryffindor dormitory and went down to the Great Hall with James, Remus and Peter, who had finally been discharged from the Hospital Wing.

Though Sirius wasn't quite sure what they had done to make Rune so angry, and felt a little guilty for it all the same, his pride had still been pricked, and he wasn't going to approach her if she didn't approach him – them.

"So," said James. "All got your dates for tonight?"

"No," said Peter miserably. "I didn't have time to ask anyone, and the person I wanted to ask is already going with someone else."

"Ooh, who did you want to ask, Wormtail?" Teased James, laughing.

Wormtail went pink and didn't answer.

"Who are you going with?" Remus asked James, sparing Peter more embarrassment.

"Mary Macdonald," said James impressively.

"How did you get her to say yes to you?" Said Sirius in amazement. "That's Lily Evans's best mate!"

James grinned. "It took a while, I'll admit. But I'm hoping this'll make Lily…you know…"

"Jealous?" Sirius supplied.

"Well, yeah…" James cleared his throat. "So, Padfoot, who're you going with?"

"I…ah…I'm not as yet…well…"

"Spit it out."

Sirius glared at him. "I don't actually have a date…"

"You're kidding!" James laughed, astonished. "Why not?"

"Just never got round to it, I s'pose," said Sirius uncomfortably. "Anyway, Moony, you taking anyone?"

Remus looked up, a ghost of a smile playing on his face. "Yes, actually, I am."

"Outflanked, Black!" James roared with laughter. "Who is it, Remus?"

"It's Rune." Said Remus openly.

There were a few moments of shocked silence.

"What?" Asked Sirius, noticing an uncomfortable twisting feeling in his stomach.

"Well, she was upset yesterday, so I went to find her and asked her." Remus looked directly into Sirius's face. "You don't mind, do you?"

Wrestling with the vicious desire to shake Remus like a maraca, Sirius jerked out the words; "No, of course not."

"Right, breakfast!" Cried James, a little too loudly than was necessary. "I'm really … erm … hungry. Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes." Said Sirius in a surly voice. "Let's go."

There was a brief moment when Sirius thought Remus actually _smirked _at him, but he brushed the thought away. No matter what Sirius was thinking, Remus would never be as infantile as that. Never.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Rune felt it wiser not to push it with the teachers, and sat at her own table for breakfast. She looked over to the Gryffindor table once, and saw that Sirius was staring moodily at his food, stabbing at it but not eating anything. Remus saw her looking and winked. Maybe he had been right all along.

The day flew by in a whirl of lessons, until they were finally all over. Rune went to the library to read for a while, and soon the sky began to darken to a deeper blue, flecked with the weak first stars.

At about seven, the library doors banged open and Darcy came rushing in, out of breath. "Oh, I thought I'd find you here," she panted. "Why the heck aren't you getting ready yet – you do know the Ball starts at seven-thirty?"

Rune nodded. "I've got half an hour. I had a shower this morning so I only need to really brush my hair, and then –"

"No, no, no." Darcy shook her head, exasperated. "I'm glad I came to find you now. Come on, get your dress and meet me in the girls' bathroom on the sixth floor, okay? And _hurry!_"

Nonplussed, Rune got up and ran to her dormitory, then back to the toilets where Darcy was waiting for her, surrounded by cases of various potions and implements. The bathroom was deserted, probably due to Darcy's reputation.

"What took you so long?" Darcy demanded. She already had her hair up in ceramic curlers, her green eyes flashing imperiously. "Never mind, come here."

And in the next ten minutes, Rune found herself being scrubbed, plucked and powdered to within an inch of her life. When her face was done, Darcy set to work on her hair, casting various enchantments on it until she finally decreed that Rune was done. Then Darcy instructed her to get into her dress while she, Darcy, got herself ready.

Rune locked herself into a cubicle and shimmied into the dress. She felt ridiculous, like a painted marionette, but she supposed she'd just have to trust Darcy's judgement.

As she came out, she saw Darcy, and her jaw dropped. Darcy looked utterly transformed.

She was wearing a pale pink strapless dress that stopped just above the knee and billowed out behind her in a controlled ruffled, feathery train that swept the ground just behind her rosy high heels.

Her honey-coloured hair glossy and organized into delicate waves, with the sides pinned back with a jewelled clasp.

Rune felt a twinge of jealousy, and thought herself utterly inadequate, for Darcy was probably the prettiest girl in the year, if not the school. It was so unfair that one person should have money, brains and beauty.

Darcy swept her eyes appraisingly over Rune. "You look good," she said, sounding almost surprised. "Go look in the mirror, see?"

Rune turned slowly to the large yet cracked mirror, not quite sure if she really wanted to see her reflection. But the moment she did, her eyes widened in shock. Rune's pale skin had been made up to look almost luminous. Her eyes were smoky, the brown of here irises accentuated and her lips looked fuller, and a natural yet pretty shade of reddish-pink.

"How did you do that?" Rune demanded.

"It's called makeup," said Darcy drily. "You may have heard of it."

"Why don't people wear it all the time?"

"Some do, but it looks stupid if you have that amount on every day. Makeup only accentuates the features that you already have, it can't make you much prettier if you're not vaguely pretty yourself. How do you like the hair? I saw it in Witch Weekly."

"It's lovely. Thank you," said Rune honestly.

Her dark hair had been eased from a French plait at the back into a wavy loose side-ponytail, adorned with one peacock's feather's head. The dress was ncie as well, considering that Rune hadn't worn one since she was about five. It was a glossy dark blue – off the shoulder and clinging to Rune's torso before flooding outwards a little more into wide ruffles, like a waterfall at midnight.

She looked … good. Not as beautiful as Darcy, of course, but nice nonetheless.

"Haven't you got any jewellery?" Asked Darcy.

"Nope."

Darcy let out a long-suffering sigh. "Never mind. You'll look pretty without it."

Slightly surprised at the compliment, Rune smiled slightly.

"I could probably even get you a date at this short notice, if you like."

"No!" Said Rune, too quickly. "I mean," she added hastily, noting Darcy's raised eyebrow, "I already have one. I'm going with Remus Lupin."

"_Lupin?_" Darcy was incredulous. "Why would you want to go with _him_?"

Rune drew herself up, stung. "He's kind to me, and I like him."

"But I thought you were on the run for Balck?" Not that I'm disappointed you're shifting your gaze, but there are much better people you could shift your gaze onto."

Rune went pink. "Firstly, there's _nothing_ going on with Sirius and I. At all. And secondly, me and Remus are just going as friends."

Darcy still looked doubtful, so Rune quickly suggested they go down to the Ball.

"Oh my Goodness!" Darcy squealed. "We're ten minutes late! Ah well, we'll have to be fashionably late. Come on!" And she ran, full pelt from the bathroom.

They must have made an odd sight; Darcy's ruffled, feathery train streaming out behind her as she ran, and Rune picking up her skirts and giggling as she followed.

Finally, they reached the staircase before the Entrance Hall. Darcy flung out an arm to grab Rune. "You don't want to go running in there like a five year old." She warned. "You'll be laughed at. Follow me."

Darcy descended the steps first. She turned many heads, drawing a mixture of appreciative and jealous murmurs from the surrounding crowd. She revelled in the attention, and strode confidently down to where Regulus, a good-looking boy in flattering dark blue dress robes waited.

Rune wasn't feeling quite so self-assured. She peeked around the corner. The people in the Entrance Hall had gone back to their previous conversations.

Rune was suddenly very conscious of her bare shoulders, and the wispy curls framing her face that had escaped Darcy's hairstyle as they ran.

Swallowing hard, and trying to ignore the anxious twisting feeling in the pit of her stomach, she stepped around the corner and walked down the steps.

And heads turned. People looked at her and whispered a little, almost insultingly shocked by her appearance. Rune made her way as quickly as possible over to the corner where Remus, Peter and Sirius stood. All three were goggling at her in unflattering disbelief.

"Um … hi," She offered tentatively.

Remus smiled at her, while Peter goggled. Sirius just gazed at her.

"You look lovely," said Remus politely.

"You look nice too," said Rune shyly."Um, all of you do." She looked down quickly.

While Remus did look nice, though his dark brown dress robes were a little frayed in places, it didn't really, in her mind, hold a candle to Sirius.

He wore inky black dress robes that had obviously been fitted professionally. His hair was in its usual state of careless grace, curling down past his ears, and Rune thought he looked … well, as Darcy would say, he looked _hot_.

"Shall we go in?" Asked Remus, gesturing towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"Yes," said Rune, quickly looking away from Sirius.

Remus linked arms with Rune, and they entered the Hall together. Rune glanced behind her before the doors swung closed and saw Sirius, looking thoroughly bad-tempered, storming out of the Great Hall.

"Going well, don't you think?" Remus smiled hesitantly at her. Rune didn't smile back.

"I don't want him to be upset." She blurted.

Remus chuckled kindly. "Nobody does – but to be perfectly honest, I think it could be good for him."

Rune turned back to the Hall – and was greeted with a sight that banished Sirius Black from her mind. The Great Hall had been … well … transformed. Hundreds of bats of all sizes fluttered from the ceiling that reflected the deep blue, starry sky above. Giant pumpkins carved into glowing grins were lacing the edge of the Hall, replacing the usual burning torches.

Delicate tables covered with red velvet outlined the open space in the middle of the Hall, which formed a massive, jam-packed dance floor.

A band Rune didn't know was playing something rock-ish to the crowds of writhing dancers.

Rune could see Darcy sitting at a table with Regulus, but for some reason, she didn't look to happy about this seating arrangement.

"Hang on a sec," Rune told Remus. She walked over to Darcy, standing vaguely close until she, Darcy, got the message and came over to her.

"What?" She asked, looking a little irascible.

"Are you okay?"

Darcy shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Regulus is being a bit –"

She was cut off by the beginning of another song. It was a Muggle pop-song called Ultraviolet, which Rune had, for once, actually heard before.

She noticed Remus suddenly at her shoulder. "Dance?" He asked tentatively.

Rune grinned at him and took to the dance floor, leaving Darcy staring after them, looking a little jealous.

Both Remus and Rune were terrible dancers, but for some reason, that just made the whole thing funnier. A few songs later found Rune doubled up, laughing so hard that her belly was aching, her arm around Remus for support, who was laughing too.

The song ended soon, and Remus left to go get drinks, still laughing. Rune saw Regulus leave Darcy to get drinks also, looking glad to leave. Darcy started to come over, but then suddenly halted and turned around, walking in the opposite direction. Rune's eyebrows drew together, confused, until somebody tapped her on the shoulder.

"Dance, milady?" Sirius stood there, offering her a hand.

Rune tried (unsuccessfully) to quench both her involuntary smile and the butterflies dancing enthusiastic conga around her stomach, and said, "I'm a terrible dancer."

Sirius grinned, letting out a barking laugh. "I know. I'd better help you stop embarrassing yourself."

And so he took her waist in one hand and her hand in the other and they danced.

Laughing, they tangoed at top speed around the dance floor, much faster than the song required. Sirius picked her up at one point, swirling her around in a breathless circle before setting her back down gently on the ground.

Rune's brain was on fire. She couldn't think about anything else but his hands burning on her waist, and was startled when the song finished – surely it could end so soon?

But before the band could start another song, an enraged cry sounded, piercing the Hall, and washing throughout the crowd.

"_What?!"_

The crowd hushed silent.

Sirius and Rune, still holding onto each other, turned their heads to see who the voice belonged to.

Darcy was standing by the Hall doors, just in front of Regulus, who resembled quite accurately a rabbit who has suddenly found itself in the fast lane of the motorway.

"Darce, calm down," he begged in a quiet voice that nonetheless carried clear as a bell around the silent Hall. "It's for the best. I just think that we –"

"Oh yeah, we have different views on different things, I heard you the first time!" Shouted Darcy, too upset to realise that she was making a spectacle of herself. "So you waited until _now_? You coward!"

Darcy was screaming randomly, trying to find more reasons to be angry with Regulus, while also attempting to provoke Regulus into an answer – which she did.

"Don't call me a coward!"

"Why?" Does it make you sad? Oh, _poor_ spoilt Regulus with everything he wants!"

Regulus turned red under his shock of dark hair. "Oh, Darcy, you're on very thin ice just there. Look at _you, _strutting around school like you own it, putting people down just because you can, wanting to look cool in front of all your wannabe Death Eater friends."

Darcy, in comparison, went bone white. "Oh, hark who's talking, Mr. My-family-have-been-Dark-Wizards-for-generations!" 

Regulus's eyes flashed angrily, his resemblance to his brother suddenly very apparent. "Whereas your family simply bribe everyone in their way."

Darcy completely lost control. "My family is respected! I am proud to be a Rathmore! Are you proud to be a Black?"

Sirius's eyes stiffened around Rune. Instinctively, she put her palm against his cheek; a non-verbal gesture for him to calm down. He turned his head, dark eyes flashing into hers. Rune dropped her hand as if he had burnt her and looked away quickly at Darcy and Regulus, cheeks flushed.

Regulus's voice had gone deathly quiet. "I will not have this argument with you." His voice was calm, but with a subtle edging of scorn. "Goodbye, Darcy."

And Regulus left the Great Hall.

Scandalized muttering set the Hall alight. Darcy stood, still as a stone, staring out into the empty Entrance Hall through the slightly parted doors.

Then she gradually seemed to come aware of all the eyes upon her. Her own flickered around the Hall. They fell pleadingly on Snape and Malfoy, who looked uncertainly at each other, then down at the table again.

Darcy's lower lip quivered, and she fled from the Hall, her dress's pale train whipping around the edge of the door.

Sirius and Rune looked at each other in amazement at what had just occurred. Then,agonizingly gradually, they began the realise that they were still holding onto each other. Neither drew away.

Sirius pulled her slowly closer, his eyes not leaving hers. Her face tilted up of it's own volition, just as his lowered.

But, even in her befuddled, electrified state, Rune knew – this was not the right time, or even the right _thing_ or either of them. She broke away from him.

"Rune –" For once, his voice was completely serious.

"I – I need to make sure she's okay." Rune said, averting her eyes.

"Rune –" But she pulled herself away from him and hurried away to the Entrance Hall, trying to banish her light-headedness.

A gaggle of young girls were crowded around the doors, trying to see Darcy through the crack between them.

"Clear off!" Said Rune fiercely, venting her feelings on them. "Get lost; this is none of your business!"

They scurried away, muttering insults under their breaths as they went, giving Rune a brief flash of satisfaction.

She pushed aside the doors. Darcy was sitting alone on the stone steps, her hands clasped together so hard in her lap that the knuckles were white. Tears were sliding silently down her cheeks, but she made no move to brush them away.

Rune walked slowly over to sit by her, and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently against her own.

Darcy was stiff, but then something seemed to break inside of her, and sobs ripped out of her throat. She leant heavily against Rune's shoulder and cried.

They sat there for quite a while, tears sliding out from under her closed eyelids, dampening Rune's skin and the top of her own dress, but she didn't push her away. When the worst seemed over, Rune asked uncertainly, "Do you want me to go get someone for you?"

Darcy shook her head. All of her toughness and superiority had been stripped away from her – washed away with the tears, and Rune felt sure that for the first time, she was seeing the real girl behind the pampered Slytherin faҫade, and the result was something far more vulnerable than she would have expected or believed.

"I – I'm sorry," Darcy hiccupped.

"Don't be silly."

"No, not that. I mean, I'm sorry that I made friends with you." If anyone else had said this, at any other time, Rune would have considered it an insult, but now…

"Why would you be sorry?" Rune asked.

Darcy looked so much more helpless than Rune had ever seen her. "I promised Severus that I'd make friends with you. He asked me that I'd try to get you to act more 'befitting of your blood', but I suppose he meant more, well, like me."

"What?" Rune said slowly.

"I'm sorry." Said Darcy. "I really do like you. And I don't think you should be like me anymore. Being me sucks."

At first, Rune wasn't sure if she should be angry of sympathetic, but with one look at the girl beside her, she instantly decided on the latter.

Darcy, who never let anyone in, was reaching out to a friend for comfort – how could she refuse her?

"We all think that sometimes," said Rune. "But life goes one, you know?"

Darcy nodded, looking like a small child in need of reassurance.

Rune brought her hands down onto her knees with a clapping sound. "Come on, Darce. There's a Ball going on in there."

"Actually," Darcy sniffed, "I think I'm going to go to the Common Room. When the Ball's over I'll come up to see how it went, okay?"

"But you were so looking forward to it, and you prepared so much!"

"Yeah," Darcy shrugged her shoulders, fragments of her old independent self coming back together. "But you know what? It's just a party. I'll see you at Midnight, yeah?"

"Okay," said Rune doubtfully. "If you're sure…"

"I am." Darcy said. "I really am."

And she vanished down the stairs to the dungeons.

Rune twisted her mouth to one side in worry, then straightened her dress and rejoined the Ball.

**Ooh, look, that was a long chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and REVIEW, please. I **_**know**_** you're reading this, I can see you on my Traffic Polls. RUDE. **


	11. The Shadow Stirs

The rest of the Ball was, when Rune looked back on it later, a blur of laughter and dancing. Though she and the Marauders did dance (or something of the sort) a lot more, there were no more dramatic or tense scenes as had come before.

At one point, the Marauders and she had gotten together into a circle, holding hands, and spun around as fast as they could, leaving a trail of destruction wherever they whirled. Sometimes, Rune reflected, it was fun to be immature. In the circle, Rune was sandwiched between James and Sirius (**lucky girl... Stop it, Annie, stop it...)**, and she ran just as fast as them, determined not to slow them up.

Rune was an object of interest at the Ball. Out of all the better suited Gryffindor girls out there, what on earth was it about this pale Ravenclaw specimen that had drawn the popular kids to her?

But Rune didn't particularly care about what they thought. She was, for the first time in a while, fully and completely enjoying herself; this was her night, and nobody was going to ruin it for her.

As the night drew on, the teachers sent various Year groups to bed, thinning out the crowds in the Hall. Eventually, at Midnight, the Fifth Years were firmly ushered out of the Hall by Professor Merrythought.

Chatting amiably, the Marauders accompanied Rune out of the Great Hall. They were just about to begin climbing the Grand Staircase when Rune stopped abruptly. For a second she considered staying silent, then she sighed and said, "I promised Darcy I'd wait for her."

"I'll wait with you," said Sirius instantly. Then a pink blush permeated his cheeks. "I mean, well, I _could_, if you want."

Rune looked at him doubtfully. "You hate Darcy."

"No, I don't _hate_ her. I just think she's a lying, obnoxious – what the hell was _that_?"

All the Marauders stopped in their tracks. Faintly, so faintly that the other Fifth Years climbing the staircase couldn't hear it came a scream.

It was not a laughing, joking sort of scream, or even the kind of scream produced by an unexpected surprise. It was a scared, shocked scream that pierced the Marauders to the core and broke off, without warning.

Without speaking, without even pausing to discuss this incredibly stupid thing they were about to do, Rune picked up her skirts and ran down the stairs to the bottom floor, and then to the dungeons, her heart pounding.

She hurtled down the last set of stairs, reaching a vast stretch of empty stone floor about the size of the Great Hall. She ran over to the oaken door leading into the Dungeon's passageway, but Sirius threw an arm out to hold her back.

"Can you hear anything?" He muttered, slightly out of breath.

Rune shook her head, breathing heavily. There was something to be said for a healthy lifestyle – maybe she'd spent so much time behind books that her fitness levels had dropped.

"Where's Peter?" She asked suddenly.

The others spun around, for Peter was, indeed, nowhere to be found.

"He probably went up to the dormitory without us." James put forward, him and Remus having caught up with them.

Rune raised her eyebrows, momentarily forgetting the gravity of the situation. "You know, you lot keep going off about the bravery of Gryffindor house and all, but you're actually just like the rest of us mortals."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, let's face it, Pettigrew's spineless."

The three looked affronted, even Remus. "Don't talk like that about Peter," said Sirius angrily.

"Hey," said Rune defensively. "You diss my friends; I diss yours."

"_Anyway,_" said Remus quickly, as Sirius opened his mouth to retort, "Do you hear that?"

From the other side of the Dungeon door pervaded a series of faint, but getting louder all the time, bangs and cries.

Sirius's hand came to rest on the doorknob.

"Don't-" Rune said quickly. "You don't know what's through there."

"So, let's find out." He said shortly. Rune could tell he was still peeved about her comment about Gryffindors.

"It could be dangerous!"

"Sounds like fun."

"_Sirius_-" But before she could say anything else, James had grabbed both of them with a cry of "Watch out!" and yanked them out of the way. And only just in time.

With a clang loud enough to make Rune cover her ears, the door flew open, smashing against its hinges and revealing the person they had least expected to see.

Darcy Rathmore, wearing her school cloak over an expensive looking set of pyjamas, sprinted through the door at full tilt, a wild, frantic look in her eyes. As soon as she had cleared the doorway, she twisted midstride, yelled "Impedimenta!" a caused a jet of white-blue light to shoot out of her wand and through the open door way. The force of the spell caught the door on its way past, which swung forwards and bounced off its frame.

Then she ran headlong into Remus.

"Argh!" They both shouted. Darcy luckily saw who it was before hexing the life out of him, and spun around to see Rune, before rounding back on Remus. "Why the hell'd you stand there?!" She shrieked, still shaking with shock and fright.

"Rathmore, what in the name of Merlin's supernatural toenail clippings is going on?" Sirius practically yelled at her.

"I don't know!" Darcy cried, looking on the verge of tears. "I was just walking up and they came out of nowhere – we've got to go!"

"Who did? Who are they?"

"_I don't know!" _Darcy shrieked again. It seemed unwise to push her at that point, so Rune stepped on Sirius's foot as he opened his mouth again.

Suddenly, a thick violet jet of light that Rune recognized as a Confringo curse arced out of the door. Her eyes widened in shock. "No!" She shoved Darcy hard left, and the curse missed them by millimetres, impacting against the far wall, and explosively gouging a chunk out of it.

Simultaneously, all three Marauders drew their wands. An icy drop of fear seemed to form in the pit of Rune's stomach. "I don't have my wand," she realized.

"_What?_" Sirius grabbed her and pulled her behind him.

"Where would I keep a wand?" She demanded, slightly hysterically. "My dress doesn't have pockets!"

James fired a redactor curse into the dark corridor, whereupon they heard a yelp. "Rune, if you don't have a wand, go, just go!"

Rune stood, frozen, torn between leaving, as her every instinct was screaming at her to, or staying to help as best she could. "We can't fight them from out here anyway." She said.

"Who says we have to fight?" Darcy said quickly.

"I like that idea." Rune agreed. "Any alternatives?"

They both thought for a few seconds. "Reasoned argument?" Darcy suggested unhopefully. "Run away?"

"Sorry," said James. "That goes against my religious principles."

"The only person who worship is yourself," pointed out Rune.

"Ouch, that hurts." Said James with a straight face.

"Pig."

"Snob."

"What did you call –?"

At that point, a dark figure leapt out of the doorway and seized Rune's arm in a death grip. She cried out, breaking off the end of her sentence as the man yanked her into the dark corridor.

Sirius's eyes flashed dangerously and, without pausing, he ran through the doorway himself. Darcy exchanged a brief look with Remus – the only Gryffindor who didn't make her want to be sick – and then followed him into the corridor.

It was almost completely dark. The torches that normally illuminated the Dungeons were all out, and the only light came from the doorway behind them. Darcy could see dark silhouettes flitting around, but in this light she couldn't tell friend from foe.

But then – one of the people in the dungeon was much taller than her friends, and didn't look like anyone she knew. They were running into a side passage.

Darcy ran after him, catlike, being as silent as she could. He – or she – was heading for what looked like just a stretch of wall that she knew from memory was covered by a tapestry of Uric the Evil forcing goblins to sniff pepper. The figure seemed to stoop down – it was so hard to see in this light – but then stopped and turned. Darcy knew she was caught.

She cast a nonverbal jinx at them, but – "Protego!" Darcy had to duck as her own spell was cast back at her, quickly followed by a more violent looking one. Her eyes strained in the darkness. The only moments she got a glimpse of her opponent was in the flashed of light that burst from the ends of their wands, but even then she her eyes were so unused to light that the spells effectively blinded her.

Darcy Rathmore was a skilled opponent, having been trained in magical combat from a young age by her parents, but even she knew she could not keep this up forever. With every second, the curses that flew at her grew closer, as her own curses got wider off the mark.

Finally, a jet of red light connected painfully with her chest. She cried out, her wand flying out of her hand, and fell backwards onto the cold stone floor.

Deprived of the only weapon she had, Darcy flung herself forwards. She connected with her opponent with a dull thunk and a swearword. She could tell from the voice that he was male, so she jerked her knee upwards, but the man hastily moved away. His foot connected hard with her stomach, and she gasped, winded, thrown back once again onto the flagstones. As the man came closer to finish her off, Darcy threw out a blind punch that nevertheless connected with what felt like his leg.

The punch hurt her fist, which surprised her. Darcy had never been in actual, physical combat before, as it was seen as "Muggle duelling" and not worth her time, but she had always assumed it would be easy. This was clearly not so.

The pair of them struggled in the darkness for a moment, but then the man's strong hands caught her throat, and contracted. Darcy choked, trying to prise his hands away, but in vain.

He lifted her off the ground by her throat and held her above it as she struggled, kicking wildly.

Just as Darcy was about to lose consciousness, blackness crowding in on the sides of her vision, an arc of white light shot by one of the others flew over their heads, so close that Darcy could feel it blow her hair back from her face.

It lit up the corridor for a second or so, and Darcy could see, as though from a long way away, the face of the man who was trying to kill her. He looked vaguely familiar, with dark hair, piercing blue eyes and prominent cheekbones. What surprised her was that he could only be about seventeen, barely two years older than she.

_How strange_, she thought faintly, as her eyes drifted closed. She heard a muffled gasp, and was vaguely aware of falling. And breathing. She could breathe!

As arms caught her and lowered her to the floor, she dragged in huge mouthfuls of air as though it was the sweetest ambrosia. Her eyelids flickered open and, still breathing heavily, she tried to discern the whereabouts of her wand.

"Lumos," murmured a voice from in front of her. The section of the corridor was bathed in sudden, golden light that took a few moments to adjust to.

Her assailant was looking down at her with a strange expression of mingled regret, surprise and something that looked a bit like … admiration? Darcy turned from him, raising herself up with the palms of her hands. Both she and the man saw her wand at the same time. There was a brief, tense pause, and then Darcy lunged for it.

"No – accio!"

Just when she was barely an inch away from it, her wand flew away from her reach, and straight into her attacker's hand.

Her shoulders slumped, as he pointed both wands at her. Did he expect her to beg for mercy? She was a Rathmore, for heaven's sake! But then –

"I know who you are!" She cried, her voice hoarse. "You're Malum, aren't you? Rune's sister, you use to go to school here! What the hell are you doing?"

But then she heard the sound of running feet behind her; it looked like the Marauders had not been able to keep the other intruders at bay. She turned to see a man and a woman running towards them, and in the man's arms was … "Rune," Darcy gasped.

Her friend was lying limp in the arms of a man who looked about forty, and who looked quite similar to Rune herself. "This is insane," Darcy whispered. "You're her family –

Why are you doing this to her?"

"Malum, who is this?" The woman asked. She was tall, fair haired and pretty, with a kind, open face, but at that moment Darcy hated her.

"I honestly don't know," said Malum quietly.

"Should we get rid of her?" The man asked the woman.

"No!" Said Malum quickly, then realising he had spoken too fast. "I mean, we can just leave her here. There's nothing she can do."

The man nodded, and walked towards the tapestry. Malum lifted it up to reveal a hole that led – right onto the seventh floor! The tapestry seemed to be double sided, with the other side showing a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy that hung in a seventh floor corridor.

The man kicked Darcy out of the way as he went past, carrying Rune through the hole while Malum followed, not looking at her. The woman, however, lingered, watching Darcy struggle to her feet, drained of energy.

"You're old Rathmore's granddaughter, aren't you?" She stated, smiling kindly. "I'm Marianne. Don't worry. You're going to be fine, and in a few years, you'll look back on this and know that we're doing the right thing, Darcy. You really will."

Darcy spat at her feet. Marianne let out a tinkling laugh, and then turned and left through the hole behind the tapestry, letting it fall down behind her.

Darcy stared at it, finally back on her feet. Then she turned and, ignoring her fatigue, ran back in to the other corridor, where the three Marauders lay. Only Remus was conscious, his face even whiter than usual, and his scars more prominent. He was clutching his leg, which was bent at a crooked angle.

Darcy barely spared him a glace. "Get up!" She shouted at the other two, her voice hoarse, hysterical, yet still loud. "Wake up, wake up, wake _up!_"

She kicked Sirius in the shins, while Remus looked on, too weak to say a word. Darcy spotted his wand a few feet away and snatched it up, pointing it at him. "Renervate."

Sirius's eyelids flickered open. "Rune?" He whispered.

"No, you flobberworm," said Darcy, reawakening James. "But funny you should mention her. We need to go, _now!_"

Sirius bolted upright, snatching his wand from Darcy's grasp. "Where did they go?" He demanded.

"This way!" Darcy ran down the side passage, brushing aside the tapestry.

"Amazing," she heard James mutter. "We never found this one."

Darcy ignored him. There was a door set in the opposite wall that she hadn't seen before, and instinct sent her straight through it.

She didn't even register the rest of the room, the only thing she could see was a large, handsome wooden cabinet and the person climbing into it. The others had already gone, it seemed only Malum remained.

Darcy's brain supplied the information she needed. This was a Vanishing Cabinet, one of a pair. If this one was in Hogwarts then the other must be in a secure location. Get inside the box, close the doors and you'd travel to the other place.

"_Stop!"_ Darcy cried, running flat out towards Malum. He paused, and then threw something at her. She ducked instinctively, hearing some sort of explosion, and when she looked up, Malum was gone and the cabinet was in flames.

The other two put out the fire quickly, but Darcy knew it was no use. She picked up her wand from where Malum had thrown it. "He broke it," she said, her voice dull with shock.

The others wore identical expressions. Sirius kicked the box viciously while James and Darcy looked on.

"How could this happen?" James wondered aloud, staring at the Cabinet.

"And why?" Darcy added, her face ashen.

Sirius said nothing.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

An hour later found James, Sirius and Darcy (Remus being in the Hospital Wing, his leg broken) in the headmaster's office.

Professor Dumbledore had arrived immediately when the three of them had hammered on the gargoyle leading up to his office, shouting to see the headmaster. He had listened without interruption when they had recounted their tale. Now he was silent and grave.

"Professor, we have to do something!" Said Sirius vehemently. "Rune could be in real trouble!"

"I am afraid, Mr. Black, that there are issues involved…"

"Issues?" Sirius looked furious. "What issues are more important than someone's safety? Sir." He added when James poked him in the back.

"The problem we have is that Miss Draconis was taken from this school by her own family. Whatever the means, they were perfectly within their rights to remove her from Hogwarts if they so wished. There are matters of greater importance at play."

"_Greater importance_?"

"Professor," said James, looking unusually serious. "Do you mean … You-Know-Who?"

Darcy looked down. She wasn't comfortable with this subject, knowing full well that her family had contained Dark wizards for centuries. It was a taboo subject nowadays; nobody liked to speak about He Who Must Not Be Named, though his influence was growing like a shadow. People were getting scared.

"Indeed, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore answered, looking grave. "It could be that Miss Draconis's family took her from school to protect her from that. However, that being said, it is more likely that –"

"That they took her so she could be a _part _of that?"

"It is a possibility." Said Dumbledore sadly. "Even I have noticed that Miss Draconis has begun to act a little differently. She is no longer as aloof as she once was, and has become friends with people who are most definitely not in support of Voldemort, as he calls himself's new regime."

"Oh," said Sirius. "But Rune would never –"

"I am afraid," said Professor Dumbledore. "That she may not have a choice."

"Oh, God." Darcy whispered. She had never anticipated this.


	12. The War Is Beginning

**Greetings, O Faithful followers! Sorry I haven't been updating much, I've got exams and they suck. I get through them by pretending they're OWLs. **** I hope you enjoy this chapter. I thought a fresh perspective might be interesting, so see what you think...**

Darcy hadn't gotten much sleep that night. Her honey-coloured hair now looked more like a haystack than the pristine arrangement that others usually saw, what with all the tossing and turning she had done the night before. Not that it really mattered – on Sundays, all Darcy usually did was hang around with Lucius, Severus and the others. Well. Usually.

For a moment after she woke up, she had been able to pretend that it had all just been a terrible, terrible dream. But then reality set in, and Darcy buried her face in her pillow.

In one night, she'd spectacularly broken up with her boyfriend (a fact that still stung), found out that her two Slytherin best friends were insensitive dung-heads, and lost the only friend she had ever had – and was ever likely to have – that didn't try to manipulate her.

_But this is hardly the time for moping, _Darcy berated herself. _It's a time for proactivity. _Getting out of bed, scarcely noticing that the other Slytherin 5th year girls had already gone up to breakfast, she quickly changed and followed suit.

Leaving the Dormitory, she ascended the steps leading up to the Common Room. It was a large square room, furnished with very grand plush armchairs and couches situated right under the lake. Today, the room was illuminated by the usual flickering torches and a few delicate rays of sunlight that had pierced the lake strongly enough to reach the enormous, subterranean windows. It was going to be lovely day. Darcy resented it.

She saw Lucius and Severus lounging around on a sofa by the door, and, impressively displaying the notorious Rathmore pride, walked straight past them, her spine stiff and her nose in the air.

_How could they do that to me? _Rather than risk a few raised eyebrows, they had shunned her, just when she had most needed their support. _Slugheads, _thought Darcy contemptuously.

Spotting her, the two hurried after her. _Oh, _now _they want to know me! _Darcy quickened her pace.

"Darc-oh, for Merlin's sake, Darce!" Lucius said, easily keeping stride with her. "Don't be mad," he said soothingly. "We know you went through a bit of a tough time of it, but Sev and I know you well enough to know that you just needed to cool your head for a while. We're sorry if your feelings got hurt, but we just thought it was for the best."

He didn't sound sorry. "For the best, huh?"

"You're tough, Darcy. We know you can handle yourself." Severus flattered, clearly taking his lead from Lucius.

"Besides," said Lucius, his tone smoother than a hippogriff's feathers, "We don't want to lose you, Darce. You're quite cool, you know." He offered her the smile that had many girls swooning over him.

Darcy sighed, relenting. _With Rune gone, I still need friends, right? _As they all three left the Common Room to go into the wide Dungeon corridor, the Slytherin crowd of hanger-ons swarmed towards her.

This comprised of various people (not all Slytherins) who wanted to be part of Darcy's 'in' crowd, either because it made them feel important, or because they thought they could get a favour from Darcy, who was well known in Hogwarts for being able to get anything she wanted.

"We were so _worried_ about you, Darcy–" That was Narcissa Black, a Slytherin.

"-we would've gone after you, mate, you looked like you needed some space–" Mulciber, Slytherin.

"-Why would Regulus _do _that–" Wulfric Parkinson, Hufflepuff.

"–You were always too good for him–" Robert Fawcett, Ravenclaw.

"–don't want to be associated with his idiot brother, anyway." Ieuan Folleys, Slytherin.

Darcy fended off the questions with all the skill she had, slightly enjoying the limelight despite herself.

She, Severus and Lucius – the boys laughing cruelly at the group of people behind them, thinking them quite pathetic. In truth, Darcy didn't have a much better opinion either.

In the Entrance Hall, Darcy stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" Asked Severus in his usual bored tone

"Er, nothing. Sorry."

Potter, Lupin, Black and Pettigrew had just descended the marble staircase, and they did not look happy.

There was a rather nasty silence as the two groups noticed each other, Black and Potter wearing identical expressions of one who has just spotted a slug in their food.

"Morning, Snivellus," said Black shortly. "I thought there was a nasty smell around here."

"That'll be you then, won't it?" Lucius said derisively.

"Don't think so," Potter joined in. "I think Snivelly just forgot to have his monthly bath."

"You're a lot braver with all your little friends, aren't you," hissed Severus. "Well – nearly all. I notice the Ravenclaw's gone."

Black made a convulsive movement, as though reaching for his wand, but Lupin put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Yes, shame." Severus continued, his eyes alight with the satisfaction of knowing that the Gryffindors could do nothing here, just a door away from all the teachers. "Spending time with you, I almost thought her sense of shame had been stolen. _Kidnapped,_ even."

Black lunged at Severus, abandoning thought of magic. It was lucky that he had provided this distraction, otherwise somebody might have noticed Darcy's look of absolute horror as she reached for her own wand.

The two boys rolled around on the stone floor, Black pummelling every part of Severus he could reach until–

"ARGH!" Black was yanked off him, hoisted up into the air by his ankle while Severus clambered angrily to his feet, his lip bleeding and angry red marks on his face that were quickly bruising.

"Look who's in the air now, eh?" said Severus, furious. A few months ago, Black and Potter had done this to him – humiliating him in front of a huge crowd of people, Darcy could remember.

Looking behind them, Darcy could see Potter, being forcibly restrained by both Pettigrew and Lupin, to stop him picking up where Black had left off.

"What could I do now, do you think? It's not nice being the one at _my _mercy now, is it?" Severus snarled, his black hair unkempt, strewn over his face.

"James – stop – don't – if a teacher comes by–" Lupin wheezed out the words while Pettigrew's round face was getting steadily redder with the strain.

"I don't care – I don't need my wand – I'm going to pulverize him with my bare hands!" Potter shouted.

A rather large crowd was gathering around the group, watching them with bated breath.

"Go on then, Snivelly," Black gasped. "Do your worst – suffocate me with the grease in your hair!"

Severus was going steadily redder, weighing up the satisfaction of finally getting one over on Black, or the risk of being caught by a teacher.

"I'd prefer it if you did it magically, though, I'm already going to have to disinfect myself."

Snarling, Severus drew back his wand, preparing to curse him, but then –

"_Stop it!_" A girl with dark red hair was running forwards. "What the hell are you – this is just–" She seemed unable to talk, so shocked was she by the scene unfolding before her.

Her bright green eyes travelled over Lucius and Darcy, who were standing to the side with their wands out, ready for a fight, Severus, in the act of cursing Black, who was hanging in midair upside-down, and finally Potter, who was still struggling to get free to help.

Upon seeing her, Severus lowered his wand, while the girl raised hers. She gave it a flick and Black tumbled down to the ground.

Potter had stopped struggling now, and was frantically running his hand through his hair, though the girl didn't see him.

She triggered something in Darcy's memory. Darcy thought fiercely for a moment, and then remembered – this was Severus's old best friend, Lily Evans. A Mudbl – a Muggleborn.

Lily was looking at Severus like she'd never seen him before. She opened her mouth to say something, then shook her head and turned on her heel, pushing aside the door to the Great Hall, and leaving.

Darcy grabbed Severus's arm, pulling him back. He looked angry, resentful and almost a little ashamed. "Come on, Sev. You can't do this now."

She pulled him back into the Great Hall, ignoring the angrily betrayed looks on Potter, Lupin and Black's faces.

What a mess.

Darcy and Lucius pulled Severus over to the Slytherin table. Lucius shoved a few First Years out of the way to make room for them.

"What in the name of Merlin was _that_?" Lucius demanded roughly, seating himself beside Severus and grabbing a slice of toast. "I know Black needed teaching a lesson, but right in the Entrance Hall, Sev?" Lucius seemed almost admiring.

"In case you didn't notice, he started it." Severus said coldly.

"Sev," Darcy ventured, keeping her face blank. "Why did Black go all …well … apeshit on you when you mentioned Draconis?"

Severus looked up with a sly smile. "Well, there's a bit of a story there."

"What?" Darcy and Lucius said in unison.

Severus began talking. And the more he said, the horror-struck Darcy felt.

"You see, a couple of months ago, I was going after Potter to get him back for that day at the lake. I told you about it, remember?"

"The Fiendfyre?" Lucius asked.

"Exactly. Well, I had Potter running away – he was absolutely terrified," Severus laughed. "I was just turning a corner, chasing him, when he'd almost disappeared, and guess who was there? _She _was. We actually used to be … well, almost friends. But anyway, she'd hidden Potter, and she was going really priggish and snotty, having an aneurysm about the Fiendfyre. She didn't even _like _Potter at this point anyway!"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Maybe she secretly worshipped his, just like all the other empty headed girls in this place."

Darcy sniffed. "Excuse me–"

"-most of the other empty headed girls in this place."

"Better."

"_Anyway_, I eventually just had to go, cause she just wasn't letting up."

"I thought you told us that you got Potter that night?" Lucius asked.

Severus glared at him and continued in a lower voice. "But then, like ten minutes later on the way to the Dungeon, I ran right into this man. I thought he was a teacher at first, but then I knew he couldn't've been, because I'd never seen him before. And it turned out that he was her father. He told me that he wanted to take Draconis home to help with the uprising of the Dark Lord, because she had a special hand in it."

"_What?"_ Darcy yelped.

"Be quiet, Darcy, someone will hear." Severus said haughtily. "So they wanted a way to get her out of school so they could subdue her, and then take her away. Unfortunately they didn't tell me how they could get out of Hogwarts without getting caught, or I'd have gone with them. But anyway, I got her a message telling her to go to the Forbidden Forest in the evening, and I, ah, sent one to Potter, too."

"Why?"

"Well, I brought along some friends with me. Lucius was there, but you were in the Hospital Wing with flu back then, so you couldn't go. Sorry, Darcy. Anyway, I thought that with us and the Death Eaters Draconis's dad brought, they didn't stand a chance!" He said impressively.

"But?"

"But, erm, they did. Potter brought Black and Lupin with him, and them and Draconis sort of teamed up."

"Wasn't a good night for my pride," Lucius winced, glaring at Severus. "When you told me about it, I thought there'd be better odds."

"So did I. Anyway," he said hastily before Lucius could press the subject. "In the next few days running up to the Ball, Draconis's dad ran into me again. He said that it was even more important to get her out of Hogwarts now, because they'd found out that she was spending time with people like Potter, who are against the Dark Lord's regime.

"He wanted to get a message out to the Slytherins not to go near the Dungeon corridor at Midnight. I just on the staircase when the Slytherins came down and sent them the long way round, saying that someone had let off Garrotting Gas in the main corridor, and to go through that secret passageway. You know, the one behind the portrait of Elreada the Sly? You'd already gone to bed by then, Darcy, so you probably didn't get that message."

"Yeah, I remember," Darcy said coldly.

"Oh, yeah. Well, um, that's it."

"So," said Lucius. "So, they've taken Draconis home?"

"Yeah."

"Hardly a kidnapping then, eh?"

"Yeah, but they don't know that, do they? They'd just have got up next morning and found out she'd never gotten to bed that night."

Lucius laughed. "Nice one, Sev!"

Severus smiled gleefully.

"But you were the one who told me to get friends with Rune in the first place." Darcy said blankly.

"Oh, I thought that would just help her, considering what she's going to do."

"I think I'm going to throw up," said Darcy faintly.

Severus and Lucius recoiled. "Well, go up to the Hospital Wing then!" Severus said quickly.

"Would you like one of us to go with you?" Lucius asked unenthusiastically.

"No." Darcy got up and left the Hall. She was so shocked by what she had just heard that she didn't notice Sirius Black following her out of the Hall.

Darcy shoved the great doors aside and walked forwards as if in a dream. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, feeling the coolness of the stone permeating her black cardigan.

_What did I just hear? That's horrible – disgusting beyond belief. I cannot _believe_ this! _

"So," came a voice from her right. "All that lying and sneaking around tiring you out, huh?"

Darcy opened her eyes. "Yes, exactly. Lying and sneaking is how I spend all of my time, didn't you know?"

Black looked at her, fury in every line of his face.

"Go on, then," she said plainly. "Hit me with it, I know you're dying to."

"_What's the matter with you?"_ Black hissed, livid. "I thought you were Rune's _friend! _How can you just go off with Snape and Malfoy when you _know _they had a hand in it? Are you just loyal to whoever?"

"Black–"

"Well, I guess I'm just assuming a set of morals that Slytherins clearly don't grasp! Did you help Snape, eh? Are you just laughing about it now? Rune could be in real danger!"

"Rune _is _in real danger." Darcy cut him short, still too shocked to be affronted. "I just found out… They're taking her to the Dark Lord, because … because she has a special part to play in his rise."

Black looked as though he'd been hit in the face. His voice came out strangled. "She's … they're … what part?"

Darcy shook her head. "I don't know. And I didn't help Severus, not at all. I … I don't know what to do."

Black's back slid down the wall until he was sitting down stunned. "I can't believe this."

Darcy laughed weakly. "Me neither. And Bla – erm – Sirius, I didn't know about any of this. I swear."

"Why are you still friends with Snape and Malfoy, then?"

"They're my friends. I can't just shun them."

"They shunned you."

"They know me very well, and I need friends."

"Rune was your friend."

"I know," Darcy sighed.

They stayed silent as more people came into breakfast. But then Darcy's heart did a somersault as she saw who else was there. Regulus was walking down into breakfast, and he noticed Sirius and Darcy sitting together.

His eyebrows shot up, and a look of mingled confusion, outrage and jealousy spread over his face. It was extremely satisfying.

Darcy met his gaze coolly while Sirius ignored him completely. Regulus stormed away into breakfast.

_Well, that's my reputation buggered. _Darcy thought despondently. _Ah, well. _

Sirius let out a barking laugh all of a sudden, making Darcy jump. "What?" She asked.

"His face – he looked like a mallet had hit him!"

Darcy smiled a little too, but it wore off quickly. "Erm, sorry, but you and Rune…"

"Yeah?"

"Well, you're kind of a thing, aren't you?"

Sirius's laugh died quickly. "No, we're not."

"Well, you fancy her, at least." It was worth saying these to watch his face get redder.

"No, no, no I don't." He said quickly, looking rather like a tomato with hair.

"Well, she'll be disappointed then."

Sirius's head snapped around to look at Darcy so quickly she was impressed he didn't sprain his neck. "What? Why? What did she say?"

His expression was so intense Darcy half expected him to grab her by the lapels and shake her, screaming _TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW! _

"She didn't say anything. Much."

"Tell me what you know!"

Darcy laughed once and then was silent. "Bit keen, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just … curious."

"I'll say."

"Shut up, Rathmore."

"Go die in a hole, Black."

There was a slight pause, then Darcy said, not quite sure where she was getting the words from, "just, um, don't hurt her, okay?"

Sirius looked at her, surprised. "She's been abducted by her family, and going to be involved in some plan with Voldemort–" Darcy flinched "–and you think _I'm_ the problem here?"

"No, I just – I guess what with Regulus and everything I'm feeling a bit protective. Just don't, okay?"

Sirius smirked. "Getting a bit sentimental for a Slytherin, aren't you? Do _you _fancy Rune?"

"Ha, ha." Darcy deadpanned.

They sat there for a few moments longer, until it gradually began to dawn on Sirius that he'd just had a semi-civil conversation with a Slytherin. He stood up awkwardly, a strand of dark hair curling over his eye. "Well, I'll, ah, see you around."

"Bye, Black."

Darcy watched him leave. _How unusual,_ she thought. _A semi-civil conversation with a Gryffindor. Next thing you know I'll be charging into battle armed with a spoon._

**I was going to write more for this, but it seemed a little long, so I left it at that. REVIEW, PLEASE! **


	13. Sirius Talks

**Hi guys! Me again, with a present for you, in the shape of a few pages of reading. Enjoy, and tell me what you think! It's a bit different from my other writing, so…**

When James Potter entered the Gryffindor Dormitory after lunch on Saturday he was fully expecting some kind of abnormal behaviour from his best friend. This reason for this was that James knew full well, as, he knew, did Sirius, that today was exactly one month since the Halloween Ball, and by extension Rune's disappearance.

Sirius had refused to mention Rune's name since, as if by doing so he could reverse events, or, as James suspected, forget them. They had heard absolutely nothing from Rune, but Professor Dumbledore had taken them from a double Potions lesson a few weeks ago (shame) to inform them that Rune's family had been in touch to say that, henceforth, she was to be home-schooled.

So, James was therefore expecting strange behaviour from Sirius, but what he was not expecting, however, was for that behaviour to be quite so … extreme.

Sirius was seated cross-legged on his four poster bed, looking murderous, the focal point of the carnage that had enveloped the Dormitory. Chunks of wood had been cursed from their furniture, and papers were strewn across the floor, blown about in the draught from the shattered window. As James watched, Sirius jabbed his wand at the candelabra on the wall, which exploded.

"Argh!" James had attempted to jump out of the way of the fragmented metal, but had in doing so stepped on a shard of glass that had recently parted company with its pane.

Clutching his bleeding foot, James hopped – more cautiously this time – across the room to his own bed. "Merlin, Padfoot, what've you done to it?"

The velvet hangings were gently smoking white splinters from the headboard littered the covers. James could see that other beds had suffered similar treatment.

Sirius looked across at the debris, but the mild surprise at what he had done was not enough to expel the incensed expression on his face. "I'm bored." He said haughtily.

"No, you're not!" James looked none too pleased himself, "Oh no, no, bored people go talk to their friends, play Quidditch or read something. Mad, stupid, restless people try to blow up the bloody Dormitory!"

"You calling me stupid?" Sirius fired up, venting some of his anger into his tone.

"You know what, maybe I am!"

Sirius scowled at him, knowing that James was right, but furious with him for knowing it.

"Stop looking at me like that, you look like your mum." James told him with the barest hint of a smirk.

Sirius's scowl deepened, while a gust from the window ruffled his already messy hair.

"Course, I know why you're being like this," said James slyly. "You know, Padfoot, I'm sure your girlfriend is fine."

Sirius stiffened. "She's not –"

"-And I know your heartstrings are aching!" James cried melodramatically, throwing one hand up to his forehead as though swooning, deliberating winding Sirius up. "They are being cut one by one as she –"

"Shut up!"

"-She drifts away on a sea of troubles…" James grinned tactlessly. "But you know Dumbledore said-"

"I know what he said!" Sirius shouted, and, finally, the smirk slid off James's face.

"Sirius?" James looked troubled, realising that there was something more here. "What is it? What've you done?"

The anger seemed to wash from Sirius's face at his words, being, as James had known from the start, just a mask to cover his fear and confusion. Now he looked pale, and almost guilty.

"I, er…" he began, then quickly said, "I looked up the Draconis family in the library."

"What?" James said blankly. "When?"

"After lunch, for the past few days. Weeks."

James sat down heavily on his bed, briefly forgetting about his bloody foot. "_Why_, Sirius?"

"Because there's something more to this! I knew that – for Merlin's sake, we all knew that, why would her own family kidnap her? It makes no sense!"

James's eyebrows knit together. "Dumbledore said they wanted to take her away from us, didn't he? 'Cause we were a bad influence."

"Yeah," Sirius dismissed this. "But why just kidnap her? Why not tell her first? Why not send a letter or something?"

"They could have done." James said, trying to be reasonable.

"She would've told me!"

"No," James said quietly. "She might not have done. She might not have wanted to make a big deal out of it."

"She would've told me." Sirius repeated.

"Would she? Sirius, I'm sorry, I think you're thinking more into this than there is! How well did you know her, really?"

"Well enough," Sirius said stubbornly.

James sighed, but evidently decided to humour him. "Well, fine then, what did you find?"

Sirius leaned forward; visibly keen to disclose his findings. "They're all Dark Wizards, James. All of them. Every cousin, every parent, every distant relation! They're all of them Dark Wizards!"

"Well, they must've been a bit, to want Rune away from the resistance. Besides, how do you know if they're dark or not? They might've changed somewhere down the line, mightn't they?"

Sirius looked exasperated at James's unenthusiastic approach. "I found their family tree, and accounts that prove that they were in contact with Dark Wizards – they're Death Eaters, James, I know they are!"

"Sirius…"

"Do you think she knew? Or do you think they didn't tell her? She wouldn't have gone along with it, would she, so she could be in danger from the Death Eaters by now!"

"Sirius," James said firmly. "Stop."

Sirius looked at him impatiently, his face flushed with the surety of his discoveries. "What?"

"Right, I'm going to say this is the gentlest way I can, because you're my best friend and I don't want to upset you."

"What?" Said Sirius again, eagerly this time for any kind of insight James might have had into the situation.

James took a breath. "You're completely insane!"

Sirius looked as though he'd been slapped, but James wasn't finished. "You're looking for patterns that aren't there! I know you're angry that they look her home, but that's all that they did – she's not mixed up in anything dangerous, or Dumbledore would know, and he doesn't think so, does he?"

"But –"

"No, Sirius. I'm sorry, mate, really I am, but there's nothing to look for, 'cause there's nothing to find."

Sirius was sitting stiffly on the bed, looking at James like he'd never seen him before. James's face softened slightly, and he spoke more gently now. "We were all her friends, Sirius. I know you … well, you … sort of liked her _more_, but I really think you should let it go."

When Sirius spoke next, his voice was tight and frosty. "Like you'll let Evans go?"

James blinked in surprise. "That's totally different –"

"No, it isn't. Evans can't stand you, James, you know that, and you think you can smile at her and change that?" Sirius's words were visibly stinging James, but now he'd started, Sirius couldn't seem to stop. "She's not going to want to swoon at you any more than Snape."

There was a painful, dragging silence in the Dormitory after these words, broken only by the noise of the wind. Then James stood up, seeming as cold and proud as a Slytherin. He walked to the door, stopping just before leaving to deliver one final parting shot. "At least I'm brave enough to try – whereas you haven't got the guts to even hint to Rune that you might like her. Rune will end up with someone like Moony, not _you._ In fact, Moony has a bit of a better chance, from what I've seen." He spat, his face red with anger and wounded pride.

And the door swung shut behind Sirius's best friend.

Sirius sat on the bed, filled with ire, hastily drowning his shame in pride. How could James be so pigheaded as to not realise what was staring him in the face? It was clear that there was something wrong here – obvious, even!

James was just being deliberately obtuse. Too scared to admit the truth. Too stupid to see it.

But maybe Sirius shouldn't have said what he had… maybe he had been a little out of line…

Sirius was too angry to apologize today (or even this week) but sometime, he would. Unless James apologized first, of course. Which he should, really.

He gazed at the wreckage of the room, and then swung his legs over the edge of his bed and left the room.

Crossing the warm, cozy Common Room in a few long strides – ignoring James who was angrily casting splinters of wood into the fire so hard that the burning logs were cracking under the strain – Sirius climbed through the portrait hole and out into the landing.

He walked purposefully, though he didn't know as yet where he was going, stomping down the staircases into the Entrance Hall, then out into the paved courtyard.

He stopped, taken aback. There was a large trunk sitting in the middle of the courtyard, and a figure clothed in a lot of hideously expensive ermine was perched on the edge of it. Waiting to leave.

Attempting to make his tone careless and not unduly interested, Sirius said, "So, leaving, are you?"

Darcy sighed, her shoulders dropping. "Yes. My parents are picking me up in five minutes." She looked down, and, answering his unspoken question, said, "They think that I'm being affected by … ah … bad influences."

There was a pause in which Sirius attempted to reconcile her words with her current attitude. "Are those, er, bad influences us?"

"Yes, I think so. They heard that I tried to stop Rune being taken, so they're taking me away, lest my loyalties get shifted."

"And you're leaving? Just like that?"

"Yes." She said blandly.

"What?" Sirius said, his brows drawn together. "You're not fighting?"

Darcy laughed, briefly and hollowly. "What on Earth for? You've lost, Black. Everyone knows it but you."

"What?" Said Sirius again.

"You're defeated." She said flatly. "You, Dumbledore. Rune. The Dark Lord is all but risen and you will join him eventually. Why fight when there's no possibility of winning?"

"Because he's wrong! Because people are dying, being threatened and kidnapped! People like _her!"_

"Well, I'm not her!" Darcy cried, showing a split in her perfect composure for a brief moment before rearranging her features. "I'm not her." She repeated. "I'm not brave like her, and that allows me to see things more clearly – we're all going to have to swear allegiance eventually. Isn't it worse to fight him, with the certainty of losing, than to join him, with the possibility of a better life?"

"No," said Sirius, shaking with disbelief and anger. "I'd rather fight, with the possibility of winning."

Darcy shrugged, clearly not bothered to argue further. "That's your choice."

"Where did this come from – you fought with us, you tried to help her –"

"And look where it got her," Darcy pointed out. "She's trapped at home, being forced to serve the Dark Lord, or to…" She trailed off.

"Or to what?" Sirius spun Darcy around, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Or to what, Rathmore? What are they doing to her?"

"I don't –" Darcy tried to break free, but he just held on more steadfastly.

"Like Hell you don't know! Tell me!"

"Darcy?"

A man and a woman were approaching them. The man was tall, aloof and proud looking, while the woman looked like an older version of Darcy, but with cold, grey eyes as opposed to Darcy's hazel-green.

Sirius let go of Darcy, glaring at her, unable to believe that he could have thought that she could be a decent Slytherin. There was no such thing.

"Who is this, Darcy?" But the look on the woman's face told Sirius that she already knew full well who he was. The name of Sirius Black did not hold good stock in pureblood families, well known for belonging to the boy who had defied his heritage, and turned his back on tradition.

"Nice to meet you." Sirius stretched out his hand to the woman, ignoring Darcy's pleading look. "My name is Sirius Black. I'm a Gryffindor, and I'm in love with a girl who's being tortured by Voldemort – but don't worry, I'm going to get her out." Darcy put her hand on his sleeve, but, for the second time today, Sirius seemed unable to control his temper. "I'm going to fight Voldemort until I die, because I hate him, and I hate people who serve him, because they're wrong. _You're _wrong, and by the time you figure that out, it'll be too late for you, and I'll never forgive you anyway."

This last sentence was directed at Darcy, but he didn't hang around to see if it had sunk in. He turned on his heel and stormed back into the castle.

He ran straight into James and Remus, who seemed a little out of breath.

"Sirius?" Remus asked. "Are you alright?"

"No." Said Sirius, a reckless smile spreading over his face. "But I will be."

"Sirius," James said, looking uncomfortable. "Listen, mate, I just wanted to say…er…"

"It's fine." Said Sirius. "Forget it, it's fine – and, well, I'm sorry about what I said too…"

James hurriedly continued. "I was thinking about what you said, and I thought maybe you might have something. Something bad."

"But we want to help you." Remus said quietly. "Really, we do."

Sirius looked at them, both looking grim, yet earnest. They would help him. He smiled again.

"Right then," said Sirius Black. "Let's go save Rune."

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know just the same. Sirius is one of those people who just says whatever is in their brain, recklessly, regardless of consequences. Oh, and I am considering writing a separate story for Darcy. What do you guys think? Would you read it? Let me know ****  
>Love you all,<br>Annie Wilde  
>x<strong>


	14. Rune Endures

**Et voila, here's the next chapter! I hope you like it, it gave me difficulty **

There was no time when Rune awoke. No time, no surroundings, no anything. She could have been there for days or for no time at all. But _where _was she?

Her surroundings were flickering around her – she could feel grass, stone and water beneath her all at once – she felt cold, warm and hot all at the same time – everything around her changed until it melded into one dark, shifting blur.

She closed her eyes – concentrating on the only solid thing in this flickering kaleidoscope of worlds; herself. She lifted her hands to her face, covering her eyes, pretending that she was somewhere, anywhere else.

Suddenly, her whereabouts solidified. Grass was beneath her crumpled body, familiar and solid. Warm sunlight washed over her skin while a cool breeze ruffled her hair, but Rune didn't trust any of it. Tense, her muscles coiled like a spring, she opened her eyes.

"Oh!" She let out her breath in a shocked gasp. She was lying in an open glade on the edge of a forest – a very familiar place. When she had lived in France, this had been the place she had loved the most – where she felt happiest. Years and years ago.

Cautiously, she got to her feet. She was wearing her old white summer dress without any shoes. How strange. It was just as she remembered it – exactly so. She had sat here for hours at a time when she was little, dreaming and playing.

"Rune."

She spun around, clenching her fists to attack if needs be, her heart pounding blood around her body to a frantic, pounding beat. But the figure before her was clearly not an enemy, but a friend. This was a fact she knew deep within her, as real as the grass beneath her feet.

"Father?" She whispered.

The man smiled. This was a face that Rune had seen only in photographs – and once after … but it was so hard to think where … and it didn't seem important now.

"Yes." He answered in French. "How are you, daughter?"

"Fine, thank you." She replied in the fluent French remembered form her younger years. She paused. "I am … glad to see you." And she was. A great tide of contentment had risen in her like a warm summer breeze, washing away troubles that she couldn't remember, bringing a dreamy smile to her face.

"As am I to see you." He answered. "It has been too long."

"Yes," Rune agreed. It had been too long. When had she last seen him? A handful of times in her childhood, she recalled dimly. Those times must have been very happy. But… they hadn't been, had they?

"How are you feeling, Rune?" Her father asked, but a dark seed of doubt had been planted in Rune's mind. It swelled, bringing a slow trickle of clarity with it. Those hadn't been happy times.

"I don't … I don't know." She murmured, struggling with her stubborn mind. She had seen him since then, hadn't she? When? When was it?

In a forest. A dark, cold forest, at night. There had been running, blurred noises. A boy with dark, messy hair and matching mischievous eyes.

"_Ma fille_?_" _He asked her gently, approaching.

She focussed on the dim memory of the boy. She remembered a quick flash of a smile, a barking laugh.

Rune's father placed a hand on her arm, but she shook it off, concentrating. Concentrating harder than she had ever done in her life. She remembered being swung through the air, remembered warm hands at her waist.

"Sweetheart, are you well? Calm down, my dear, look at me."

Remembered a flash of fear in his face as she was pulled into darkness. Remembered a voice. Remembered a name.

"_No!"_ She cried, yanking away from the man, as she remembered just why she hated him. "Don't touch me! Don't come near me! _Stupefy!"_ She cried the spell at the same time as she realised there was a wand in her hand.

Then a very strange thing happened. All at once, her father crumpled to the ground, unconscious, and continued to stand before her. She blinked, but still she could see it both ways.

"Rune," the man looked at her. "_Stop."_

"It's not working." Said another voice, tight and strained. "It's hurting her. Stop it now."

Rune whipped her head around. Her brother, Malum, had joined them. He was wearing a scuffed pair of dark jeans with an old jumper that didn't match the warmth of the clearing.

Malum didn't look at her. "Stop it now." He said, voice shaking slightly.

"_I _shall decide that." Their father said, suddenly speaking English once more. "Leave, my son."

"_Don't –_" Malum hissed, fury springing to his face. "Don't _ever_ call me your son!"

They stared each other down, and as they did, Rune's surroundings spun before her eyes. Darkness flickered around her, mixing into the glade like paint in a glass of water. She could see cold stone and warm bark, bright sunshine and candlelight.

"What," Rune whispered, swaying. "What have you done to me?"

Malum didn't look at her, directing his light eyes, so unlike Rune's own, at the ground. But her father turned back and raised a wand. She caught a glimpse of a dark stone room before hearing the same spell she had attempted to use just a moment ago, and slipped into darkness.

When she awoke, she was no longer in her French glade, but in a shifting miasma of colour and feeling. She closed her eyes, not trusting it. She had not been in that glade before, she couldn't have been. It was impossible. Where was she?

She fought the feelings, ignored the slideshow of settings that flew through her mind, focussing only on what she knew to be true, which, at this point was very little.

Then, briefly, a dark room appeared before her. It was a room she had never seen before, which gave her hope. All the previous places that had been shown to her had been ones she knew. She stiffened, fighting every sense her body had, fighting to keep herself in the room.

There were two men and a woman in it. Her father. Her brother. Her mother, Marianne.

"Mum?" She whispered, focussing on Marianne's drawn, pale face, which contorted in shock.

"What's happening?" Marianne whispered to the man. "Is she supposed to see me? Has it gone wrong?"

"She shouldn't necessarily see you unless she recognises your voice." He admitted. "Her mind is strong, it is breaking free."

"Then shouldn't you _stop?"_

"We cannot stop." Rune's father's face was drawn but determined, his eyes misted over with sparks. "You know our orders. We must be sure that the device works fully –"

"Even at the expense of our _daughter?"_

He released the magic, and turned a pitying look upon Marianne. "_Your _daughter, Marianne. And yes, especially so. We must prove our loyalty to him; prove that we are willing to sacrifice everything for his cause."

Marianne sank down, her face in her hands, her long golden hair tumbling over her hands. "You cared for her once." She whispered. "Cared for _us."_

The man smiled placatingly at her. "That was a long time ago, and I still care for you, you know I do." His face darkened now. "But I see no trace of proper wizarding pride in _this_. As I have heard, she has befriended children of the resistance movement – hardly becoming for her status."

"There was the Rathmore girl-"

"Indeed, which is the reason I have begun to test her gently. At first at least."

Marianne drew to her full height, trembling. "You're a monster." She whispered, pointing a shaking finger at him. Then her composure broke, and she ran from the room.

There was a moment of silence. Rune fought to keep herself based in reality, embracing the coolness of the cellar, the colour of the stones, the contrasting expressions in the two men's faces.

"Go after her, then." The man said, turning back to Rune.

"No," Malum said coldly. "I don't trust you, Sauvageon."

Rune started briefly, drawing both men's eyes. She had never known her father's surname. She knew that Marianne had kept her maiden name, and so had had no connection with the man before her for ten years.

The man shrugged. "Then stay," he said carelessly. "But do not attempt to get in my way again."

Malum said nothing, and Rune struggled on. Her strength was waning, and her grip on reality was slowly slipping, the dark shades before her melting together.

She gasped once, gulping in one breath of musty air, before the flood overflowed her. Colours swam around her, continuing even after she'd closed her eyes. When she opened them again she was sitting at a table in the Great Hall on the Halloween Ball. The scene was frozen around her, the band between chords. She could see Darcy sitting at a table with Regulus, leaning forwards, looking agitated.

She could see Remus dancing with Mary MacKinnon, and James walking over to Lily Evans, determined to win a dance. And then, a few yards away from them…

Rune could see herself and _him._ He was lifting her up, laughing, swinging her around in a circle, her dark blue dress swishing around.

"Interesting scene." Rune's father was sitting opposite her. His face looked composed once more, though his eyes were tight around the corners. Now that she looked more closely, she could see a few of the sparks in his eyes once more, blurred by this strange dreamland she was in.

Rune looked at him, her gaze colder than ice. "Hardly."

Sauvageon laughed, loudly. "Well, you should know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, as disdainfully as she could.

He looked at her, his laugh broken off into an amused chuckle. "Well, you feel comfortable here, don't you, Rune? You feel at home, at ease, _safe,_ even."

Rune glared at him, trying to act as icily unaffected as Darcy could act. "Why would you think that, _mon père?"_

He flinched briefly, but composed himself faster than the speed of light. It was not fast enough – Rune had seen him. She had seen that the thought of them being so closely related was as repulsive to him as it was to her.

Now she knew a weakness. A small one, but one she was determined to exploit to its fullest extent. Before she could speak, however-

"I say that, because this place around you became itself from your own memories, as a place that you feel comfortable in. I commanded you to feel safe, and so you did. Your mind is mine to control right now." He smirked. "Are you scared?"

And suddenly, the scene shifted around her. Suddenly she was in the pitch darkness. When she reached out, she could feel faces crowding in around her, sharp teeth moving in, a coldness that penetrated deep into her bones.

And Rune _was _scared. She squeaked as something brushed across her elbow, and she drew it in tightly.

"And so you are." Sauvageon said in satisfaction. "It's interesting, getting a glimpse into your mind, so see what truly scares you?"

Rune shivered. She had to fight this. These surroundings weren't real, she had no reason to be frightened! These thoughts did little to assuage her fears, but it did allow her to reply, albeit in a trembling voice, "For you, perhaps. But then, our fears should be similar. You are my father, after all."

There was a brief pause, then –

Rune screamed. Knives were pressing in on her from every direction, breaking her skin, drawing blood that dripped down her in a steady, warm stream. It was pain, it was agony, and as the knives burned red hot, she let out another long, agonized scream.

"STOP!"

Hands were shaking her, but they were only pushing her further into the knives. She sobbed once, tears breaking free from her eyes.

And then the pain stopped. She was floating, floating through clear darkness, as deep and pure as the night sky. She heard the voices, though.

"What did you _do?_ Never, NEVER do that again!"

"I told you not to get in my way again, _my son!_"

"And I told _you_ to never call me your son!"

"Get out, boy. Get out now, or I shall _make _you, GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

There was a bang, and a rough cry. The door opened and shut, and Rune listened hard, not feeling strong enough to fight her way to sight again.

"_Bon Dieu! Les gens Anglais sont folles!" _

Rune's heart sank. "Malum?" The words were snatched from her lips into the whirl around her.

"No, he has gone. As have the others. Strange how that always happens, no? Goodnight, Rune, I shall see you once more tomorrow."

**So, what did you think? Like it? Review and tell me please – love you all! **


	15. Darcy Chooses A Side

**Sorry, sorry for the wait! **

Sirius, James, and Remus were convened in the library. They had covered endless theories and plans, but none of them seemed much stock for one simple reason. They had no idea where Rune lived.

"And this _never _came up?" Sirius demanded of Remus. "Not once in those cosy conversations did you ever talk about her family?"

"It was a touchy subject." Remus defended himself.

"Shouldn't _you_ know?" James pointed out. "Anyway, this is all beside the point. Either we need a _way_ to find out where she is or we need a _person _who can find out where she is."

Remus and Sirius looked blankly at him.

"Oh, come on," James said. "It's obvious, isn't it? Rathmore."

There was a short silence, then – "James, she _literally _just left."

"That doesn't mean we can't find a way to get in touch with her. A letter or something." James pointed out.

"I don't know, Prongs," Remus sighed. "What if her family reads it? What if it's intercepted? What if she tells them about it?"

"I agree with Prongs." Sirius said abruptly.

"Sirius, it's risky…"

"I know. But what's life without a little risk? And besides, we don't have another plan. Dumbledore's said himself there's nothing he can do."

Remus bit his lip, and then nodded. "We'll have to be careful. We can't say anything that might offend her – Sirius, you didn't say anything too horrible to her, did you?"

Sirius thought back. "I think I told her I hated her and her family."

James laughed. "Mild. Could've been so much worse. Right, Moony, got a quill?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Late in the evening that night, Darcy was brought out of her tangled dreams to a sharp tapping at her window. Her eyes snapped open, irrational fear rushing through her.

She slipped silently out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown, and pushed aside the curtains to reveal – an owl.

Darcy let out a sigh of relief and self-amusement, and opened the window to let the tawny owl swoop in and deposit its letter neatly on her bed. Darcy put it beside her glass of water on her bedside table, letting it drink its fill before hooting quietly in thanks and swooping out of the window.

Nervously, Darcy picked up the letter and her wand. "_Lumos,"_ she whispered, and in the bright light of her wand she read her own name – _Darcy Rathmore, Rathmore Estate, England._

Turning it over, she opened the seal and began to read;

_Rathmore__ Darcy,_

_We realise that you want to be away from what's happened here at Hogwarts, but we're afraid that you may not have that option for much longer. __Volde__ You-Know-Who will advance, as you said this morning, but that does not mean we need to stand back and do nothing __like you seem to want._

_But we aren't writing to try and make you switch loyalties –_

"Aren't you?" Darcy muttered dryly.

_-we're trying to make you help us. We think Rune's being held with her family, but also that it has something to do with You-Know-Who. This is where you come in. You don't have to do anything dangerous or risky, just as a few nosy questions for us. We need to know where she is, and, to be frank, as much information as you can get us._

_If __for some stupid reason__ you're not willing, then please let us know. If not, send us an owl with what you've found out and you won't be bothered by us anymore._

_Thanks,_

_Moony, Padfoot and Prongs (Wormtail's back in the Hospital Wing)_

_P.S Might be an idea to destroy this_

Darcy gazed down at the parchment, then "_Evanesco," _she whispered. The letter vanished.

She stared down at her empty hands for a long time. Then, without any further ado, she shrugged off her dressing gown and climbed back into bed, though it was a long time before she slept again.

Darcy woke in the early morning, after only a few hours' sleep, got dressed and went downstairs to wait for her parents. Breakfast hadn't been laid out by their House Elves yet, but she could hear the faint bustling about from the kitchen.

After sleep, her head was clearer. Almost every part of her told her to pretend that she had never received that letter and to go on as usual. If they actually did something and her name was tied in with theirs… If even her _parents_ found out…

It was a ridiculous idea. Dangerous, whatever they said. But Black's words still rang in her ears, shaming her. "_I'm going to fight Voldemort until I die, because I hate him, and I hate people who serve him, because they're wrong. _You're_ wrong." _

She knew it was wrong. Deep down, she agreed wholeheartedly with what they said. But it wasn't that simple. She didn't want to bring that kind of danger or shame on herself – or her family.

But yet… a small, niggling part of her fought back. It was the part that had felt most alive when she'd fought for her friend, the part that had been awoken by the realisation that she could do something _worthwhile _in her world of sycophantism and boredom.

Darcy put her head in her hands, trying to block out everything else, while House Elves laid the table around her.

Rune was her _friend._ A truer friend than any other she'd had, who would almost definitely have done this for her.

"Darcy?" Her mother's voice drifted down the stairs, preceding her appearance in the kitchen.

"Morning, mother," Darcy smiled hollowly. "Sleep well?"

"Better knowing you were back home with us." Vanessa Rathmore put her slender hand on Darcy's shoulder. "I'm glad you agreed so eagerly. We were worried you might've, ah, _strayed."_

"Strayed?"

Vanessa made a noise of distaste. "Into agreeing with those Mudblood lovers."

Darcy managed not to flinch at the harsh word. "Is it something to do with Rune Draconis's disappearance?"

Vanessa stiffened almost unperceptively. "I suppose so."

Darcy paused, her loyalties raging, until she let out her breath in a sigh. "You know," she said tiredly. "It was Severus's idea for me to befriend her. He thought I could lead her onto the right path – I did try. I suppose I got a bit … caught up in it, that's all."

Vanessa beamed at her. "I thought that might be what had happened. I did tell your father that."

Darcy leaned into her mother's embrace, filling her nose with the glamorous scent she always wore.

"Now," Vanessa said, pulling out of the hug in a business-like fashion. "Let's have breakfast, shall we? Your father should be down in a few moments, and we need to discuss the future."

Darcy sat through breakfast in a daze, feeling sick to her core. She ate very little, but her parents did not notice, and she didn't expect them to.

"Well," Barnett Rathmore began, putting down his knife and fork. "We need to talk about your future, Darcy."

Darcy was jerked out of her dejection. "My future?"

"Yes. Seeing as Hogwarts is, regrettably, not an option, we need to reconsider. Home-schooling is, of course, an option, but we wondered how you'd feel about Durmstrang instead."

"Durmstrang?" Why there? That school had always been renowned for its use of the Dark Arts.

"Yes, yes. It is far away, but at least they have their priorities in order."

"And Hogwarts doesn't?" Luckily, Darcy's parents didn't catch the note of anger in his tone.

"Clearly." Her father sighed. "It's a shame that Draconis girl should go so badly astray. Such a good family; almost equal to us."

Darcy's fists were clenched under the table. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, didn't you know?" Vanessa said. "Very respectable, the Draconises. Quiet people – the son has joined the Dark Lord's forces, or so I hear."

"Malum?" Darcy asked, thrown off by the mention of him.

"Yes, and the father. They live not so far from here, actually, bought your aunt's old villa."

Darcy thrilled to the bone, disbelieving. Had they just given her the very information she had just decided not to attempt wresting from them? This had overthrown an entirely new obstacle. Dared she do all that they asked of her – send one simple letter to Hogwarts? Betray her parents? Her blood? Her heritage? For the sake of a dear friend?

"Darcy?" Barnett was looking at her, slightly put out. "Were you listening to me?"

"What? Oh, yeah, of course I was." Darcy stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Darcy, are you feeling well? You've gone very pale." Vanessa cut in, looking concernedly at her.

Darcy switched her gaze onto her mother. "Of course, mother, of course. Erm, I'm just going up to my room, I don't think I got enough sleep…"

"But Darcy…"

Ignoring her mother's protests, Darcy all but ran out of the room, up the staircase and into her bedroom, leaning against the door. She stood there for three heartbeats, thinking hard.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"I'm telling you, she won't reply." Sirius said to James.

"You were all in support of my genius idea this morning!" James said, disgruntled.

"Well, then I remembered that she doesn't give a damn about us – think about it, what Slytherin would willingly help Gryffindors? Mortal enemies, remember? It's an awful idea. A terrible one. At best, she got rid of the letter. At worst, she sold us out."

James knew his best friend far too well to get offended by his outpouring. He knew all too well that Sirius was venting his nervousness, trying not to get his hopes up lest their best hope be dashed.

"She'll reply," said Remus quietly.

"Why would she?" Sirius snapped.

"Because she's not as cowardly as she thinks."

"She's not as brave as Rune is."

"That doesn't matter. She'll reply."

No sooner had he said this than there was a tapping on the window. _Tap! Tap! Tap!_ Their heads snapped up in unison. Then Sirius lunged for the window. Unfortunately, he lunged too quickly, slammed his knee against the table and fell flat on his face. "Argh!" He yelled, his voice slightly muffled by the floor. "Is it from her.

Remus stepped over him, opened the window and lifted a magnificent screech owl inside. "It's from her." He said, pulling the expensive parchment from the bird's leg. "Here, I'll read it out loud. –

_Dear Remus, Sirius and James (I'm not going to use your nicknames. What are you, five?)_

_You have to understand that this letter is betraying my family, and that not a word of it can ever go outside the four of us. But Rune is my friend too, and I do want to help her._

_You were right, her family are Dark wizards. Her brother, Malum (one of the people who kidnapped her) is a Death Eater, and her father sounds like a nasty piece of work. They all live in a villa close to us in Dorset. Next Friday is a Hogsmeade weekend; I want you to go out of the village, past Zonko's, taking a dirt path on your right. If you follow it, it'll lead you to a small cave. I found it last year with my friends._

_I'm going to send you a portkey at 3:00 pm. It'll lead you to the opening of a lane. Follow that lane, and you'll reach the villa._

_Destroy this. Really, I can't stress how important it is for you to keep quiet about my involvement in this._

_Sincerely,_

_Darcy Rathmore_

The trio looked at each other. "Well," James said, letting out a low whistle. "I think that's a plan."

**I know, it's a bit of a fill-in chapter, but it was sort of necessary. Love you! Xx**


	16. Author's Note

Hi there, my people!

I'm currently relocating to a separate account, in which I shall further edit and improve upon existing stories. All the same stories will be there, just new and improved upon (and completed!)

I'll keep this one up for now and delete it in about a month.

The new username will be "Rune the Recalcitrant". Happy hunting, and see you all soon! :) xx


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